BlueTiger's Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
by BlueTiger321
Summary: My rendition of the horror video game. Ophelia tries to uncover the truth to her grandfather's murder and discovers something that will ultimately lead her in saving humanity from the coming evil.
1. Prologue: A Death in the Family

BlueTiger321: Hello everyone. I'm back with my latest story. Like I said in the Upcoming Stories I've posted, this is a parody of what I think is an underrated GameCube game, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. Like the game, I am going to make this story M-rated just to be safe because there are a lot of scary sequences and gory violence. I won't write about every little detail about the game but just enough to make the story progress. And yes, I will include the game's sanity effects because that's one of the things that make the game so wonderful. Also, I know that the game has three different scenarios depending on what path you take, but I will only write about one of them because I really don't have the time or the will to write all three; you'll see which one I've chosen in the next chapter. Now for the legal parts: Eternal Darkness is property of Nintendo and Silicon Knights, and all characters used in this story are property of their respectful owners. So sit back and be prepared to be scared out of your wits!

* * *

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering... fearing... doubting..."_

-Edgar Allan Poe

* * *

_"Flesh... Bone... Bound together with the oddest magickal incantation..."_

(A/N: For those of you wondering, that is the way magic is spelled in the game.)

_BlueTiger321 Presents..._

As this person speaks, a book is shown. This book is unlike any other as it is formed by bone and wrapped in human skin.

_"This wretched book is where it began so long ago. Before time, before humanity. I am Dr. Roku Roivas. I am a clinical psychologist. I am also dead."_

(A/N: I'm using the last name for the main character –as well as other characters – from the game, and the person speaking is Roku from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_.)

_ "This is not my story, nor even the story of the Roivas family. It is the story of humanity. Like it or not, believe it or not as you will. Your perceptions will not change reality, but simply colour it. Humanity has been on the edge of extinction for two millennia. Ignorant of so much and dependent on so few. The Guardians grow restless. Their time once again near."_

**BLUETIGER'S ETERNAL DARKNESS: SANITY'S REQUIEM**

_ "Whether by fate or misfortune, my family has crossed their path, and they didn't take kindly to it. Their attention turns to my granddaughter, for she is the last of my line, and the last hope for humanity."

* * *

_

Prologue: A Death in the Family

Roku's granddaughter is now standing in a dark room. This woman has shoulder-length black hair and hazel eyes. She wore a black T-shirt that had a black ankh set against white wings in the centre, as well as black jeans with a spiked belt buckle and black and white sneakers. A spiked wristband adorned each of her wrists and a black choker was wrapped around her neck. She was known as Ophelia Roivas (_Brütal Legend_), and right now she was not alone in the room.

(A/N: Interestingly enough, both Ophelia and Alexandra are voiced by Jennifer Hale.)

Ophelia ran around to get away from the ones who attacked her. They appeared to be zombies from their brown flesh and their lifeless eyes. As they walked, Ophelia thought she could hear bodily fluids sloshing around inside them.

(A/N: I'll be using the same enemies from the game in this story, only because I really can't think of anything else to replace them.)

The girl saw that there was nowhere to run in this room, but luckily for her she was holding a shotgun in her hands. Ophelia waited until one of the zombies was close to her and she pointed the gun's barrel at its head. She pulled the trigger and fired off one of the shells, completely obliterating the creature's head.

Ophelia knew there was no time to revel in her victory over one zombie, because more were closing in on her. Whenever another one got close to her, she fired off another round and blew away whatever body part for which she was aiming. The floor was now littered with blood and body parts as each zombie fell.

Ophelia was now running low on ammunition so she tried to break out of the room. She pounded her fists on the door to try and get it open but it was useless. The door was shut tight. As Ophelia tried to get away, she swore she could hear someone screaming.

_"May the rats eat your eyes!" _said the mysterious voice._ "The Darkness comes!"_

The girl looked behind her and saw something appear out of nowhere in the middle of the room. It looked to be some kind of apparition glowing in a blue light. It shone brightly until it took the form of someone familiar to Ophelia. Standing there looked to be a man dressed in robes with white hair and a long, white beard.

"Remember me, Ophelia?" said the man.

Ophelia gasped as she recognised this man as her own grandfather, Roku. She reached out to touch him but was interrupted when she heard a ringing sound.

The next thing she knew, Ophelia had woken up in her own dorm room at Seattle University with everything as it should be in the year 2000. Everything she had just experienced was only a dream, but somehow to her it felt real. The time on her digital clock was 3: 33 A.M. The woman had spent a long day of studying and she was wondering who would call her at this hour. She reached for her phone to answer the call.

"Uh, hello?" she said, still groggy from her sleep.

_"Miss Ophelia Roivas?"_said the person on the other line.

"...Uh, yeah. Who is this?"

_"This is Inspector Yagami of the Rhode Island Police. I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's been an accident with your grandfather."_

Ophelia gasped upon hearing the news. She wished that this was also a dream but she knew that it was real. Her grandfather was her only living relative, and knowing that something happened to him, but exactly what she didn't know, was cause enough for concern.

Narrowing her eyes, she said in a solemn voice, "I'll be on the next flight out." Her academics would have to wait since she knew this was a serious family matter.

* * *

The Roivas Family Estate in Rhode Island was now a place of despair on the night after Ophelia got the call. Outside the mansion, a police cruiser and an ambulance were parked, and they both had their sirens flashing.

Ophelia walked through her grandfather's mansion and thought of the last time she was there, which was before she left to go to university. Upon entering the estate, she was greeted by a middle-aged man with brown eyes and brown hair with hints of grey, and a smooth brown moustache over his lips. He was dressed in a brown jacket and pants with a white shirt and red tie. The man also wore glasses in front of his eyes, which was a true mark of his age.

The man turned to Ophelia and she saw he held a cup of coffee in his hands. "Ah, Miss Roivas?" he said.

Judging from the man's voice, Ophelia knew this was the police officer who contacted her the night before, Soichiro Yagami (_Death Note_).

Inspector Yagami greeted her with a handshake. "I'm pleased to meet you," he said. "I trust you had a pleasant trip?"

"Um, yes, I suppose so, considering..." replied Ophelia.

"Yes, my condolences. This is most unpleasant. It's a shame we couldn't meet under brighter circumstances."

"Yes, it is." Ophelia was almost offended by that remark, and all she wanted was to know what happened. "Can we get this over with, please?"

"Of course, this way..." Inspector Yagami was about to lead Ophelia to the see her grandfather, but he stopped midway and looked her in the eye. "But I must warn you: it's not a pleasant sight."

Both Ophelia and the inspector walked into the mansion's library. It seemed as dreary as the feeling around the rest of the estate.

Inspector Yagami pointed his hand to the floor and said, "I'm afraid there's not much to see."

Ophelia walked a few steps farther to get a closer look. What she saw sent her heart racing and she let out a horrified gasp. She was forced to look away and cover her mouth with her hand for fear that she was going to vomit if she continued to stare. What she had just witnessed had now reduced her to tears. There lying on the carpet was a headless body covered in blood. Ophelia was so distressed when she noticed a blue ring around the body's left middle finger because she knew what it meant.

"Miss Roivas," said Yagami, "is that your grandfather, Roku?" The inspector knew this was a difficult moment for the girl, but he was forced to ask that question.

"Yes, it's him – he's wearing our family ring," replied Ophelia.

Inspector Yagami took a sip of his coffee as he let Ophelia absorb everything he had shown her.

Now the girl was suddenly filled with anger over this. "I don't understand. Why are you showing me this?" she shouted. "Can't you check dental records or something? What is wrong with you?"

At that moment, Yagami tried to explain the situation but he was filled with resentment for what Ophelia said.

"I'm... I'm sorry," he said. "It's my job, lady. You're the only living relative and no, we can't check dental records; there's no head." Yagami was now perplexed at how something like this could happen based on the evidence. "Ah, none of this makes sense. There's no sign of intrusion, and there was certainly a lot of force used here. I have never seen anything like this in my twenty years on the force. We have no evidence except for the body... and what's left doesn't say much. We don't have a single clue."

Ophelia then looked at the inspector in determination. "Well, you better find out who did this..." she said. "I'm not leaving Rhode Island until you do. There must be some clue in this old mansion revealing what happened! I want answers."

"So do I..." Yagami admitted. "I wish I had some." The inspector then walked off, leaving Ophelia in her own thoughts.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the incident, and Ophelia remained in the mansion. She was still shocked over her grandfather's death and she had become frustrated by the police for having no results from their investigation.

The girl then decided that if she was to uncover the truth then she would have to do it herself. Ophelia knew that her grandfather often conducted his research in this mansion, so there would be a clue that could tell her about his past, and maybe tell her who had murdered him.

Ophelia walked through the mansion's front hall. Her footsteps were quiet as her shoes made contact with the elegant red carpet. She looked around and saw a carriage clock sitting on a table. The girl thought it was odd since the hands on the clock were permanently frozen at 3: 33 A.M., but it continued ticking. She looked behind it and noticed a key in the back and thought it was for winding up the clock. Taking out the key, Ophelia looked at it and saw that it wasn't meant for winding up the clock. It was a golden dresser key.

Ophelia knew that this key was meant for opening up something in this house. Now it was just a matter of finding out what it was. She walked over to the door leading to the library, and ran down the hallway.

Upon reaching the nook where the fireplace was located, the girl saw the grandfather clock leaning against the wall. She didn't know, but something about this clock seemed odd. That's when a strange thought hit her as she remembered the time frozen on the clock in the main hall. Ophelia reached up to touch the clock's minute hand and turned it until the time on its face was 3: 33 A.M.

As soon as the time was shown, a section of the wall slid open, revealing a secret hallway.

Ophelia was surprised by this, but at least now she had a lead on where to go next. She turned and ran down the hallway, not giving a second thought of what might lurk inside it. At the end was a door, so she reached out for the knob and turned it to swing it open.

Coming into the room, Ophelia was set aghast at what she saw. This room, she thought, must have been a private study that her grandfather used. There was a desk with a single lamp as well as several books strewn across its surface. But one book in particular had caught the girl's interest.

Ophelia walked over and touched the book, and thought the cover felt like leather. Upon closer inspection, she found out that it was actually human skin. Even more unsettling was that the lock on the side of the book had several miniature skulls surrounding its circumference. This book was known as the Tome of Eternal Darkness.

The girl felt compelled to open this book to see if there was anything that could help her in finding out who killed her grandfather.

Upon opening the Tome, Ophelia was pushed back by some unseen force. Her mind was now filled with images of what looked to be a giant brown, spike-covered creature with a gaping mouth (Lavos from _Chrono Trigger_). The next thing she knew, more images started flooding into her mind. They depicted remnants of what appeared to be an ancient city, a giant tower in the middle of a desert, and a giant worm-like creature about to swallow its prey.

Ophelia was then brought back to reality and she rubbed her head. She thought, _What the hell just happened?_

The girl was forced to sit down in the nearby chair. This time, she would carefully re-examine the book. On the first page was a passage. Judging from the handwriting and the age of the paper, it looked ancient. It read: _"I had no knowledge of what was to come, nor did I care. How the knowledge changed me, it will also change you. As you read this, you will come to learn fear as I have. You, too, will come to understand or you will perish."

* * *

_

BlueTiger321: So there's the prologue, folks! I hope I scared you all good.

Ophelia: If you thought this was scary, then just wait for what happens in the following chapters.

BlueTiger321: Hey Ophelia, you're not supposed to say anything yet!

Ophelia: Oh, sorry. =P

BlueTiger321: So, in the first chapter, we get to see the villain choose his side and find out his cause in the story. Until next time...

Ophelia: Read and review!


	2. Chapter 1: The Chosen One

Chapter 1: The Chosen One

BlueTiger321: Okay, everyone. So now for the first chapter, we see the first one who's come in contact with the Tome of Eternal Darkness. And here you'll see which side he'll take. I hope you're all ready for what happens next. Enjoy!

* * *

Ophelia kept reading the passage from the Tome, and it was as if she witnessed what this person was describing. Afraid and curious at the same time, she kept on reading:

_"To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality, to see those who dwell behind. My life now has purpose, for I have learned the frailty of flesh and bone. I was once a fool..."_

As Ophelia read, she could see through the eyes of the writer. Now it was as though she was in Ancient Persia in the year 26 B.C. It was a hot day in the barren desert as three Roman soldiers stood before some ruins. The commander was a man in his late twenties with black hair and red eyes. His apparel consisted of red and dark green clothing with pieces of armour covering parts of his body. The armour plate on his chest had a menacing, red raven painted over it, and he had a metal piece on his head that covered his forehead and the sides of his face. A double-bladed sword also hung from his back. The man was none other than the historical captain of the Roman Legions known as Dark Ace.

Dark Ace turned to face his fellow soldiers (the Talons from _Storm Hawks_) and spoke in Latin, saying, "Rest the men, they will need their strength. Make sure they take enough water and are in high spirits. Today's battle was but one of many if we are able to complete our mission."

"At once, Dark Ace," said one of the soldiers who also spoke in Latin. Before long, the soldier was then changing his speech to English. "I would like to compliment you once more on your battle tactics. Our enemies did not have a chance."

The first soldier took his leave, and the second soldier decided to add his input. "Do you believe it really exists, sir?" he asked.

Dark Ace said in English without hesitation, "I do not doubt our Emperor's beliefs, or his orders. But if we are to retrieve the artifact, then we must be strong... and patient."

The soldier saluted his Centurion and walked away with his orders to find the artifact. Dark Ace knew that he would have to be vigilant if he was to complete his mission, so there would be no time to waste. All of a sudden, as Dark Ace was alone to ponder his thoughts, he turned around as he thought he heard a voice.

_"Come to us, Dark Ace..."_ said the mysterious voice.

The Centurion then walked off as though he was in some kind of trance. This voice was hypnotic, and it seemed to have a hold on him.

As Dark Ace walked, he could then hear another voice, but this one sounding more feminine. _"Come to us, Dark Ace..."_ it said.

Dark Ace was forced to draw his sword and activate the firebolt crystal on its hilt, which caused two red blades of energy to form. He didn't know whether or not there could be danger waiting for him, but he was still drawn to the calls.

After walking a few more steps, the Centurion saw that he was near some weird structure. There were five stone pillars that formed in the circle, and one of them had archaic runes carved into its side. Dark Ace thought it was probably for some kind of ritual, but that was irrelevant. He had to find who or what was beckoning to him.

As he walked into the centre, the runic pillar started emitting yellow waves of energy that soon spread to the other pillars and formed a pentagonal pattern around Dark Ace. The Centurion could do nothing but scream as the beams of light shot out to him and made him vanish into thin air.

* * *

The next thing he knew, Dark Ace was now transported into a strange temple. The room he stood in was lit with nearby torches casting a small flame, and he could see it was well-decorated. The man knew that this must be the Forbidden City he was ordered to find by his Emperor, and now he must search for the artifact.

Dark Ace walked forward and spotted a hole in the middle of the stone floor with a ladder going down one of its sides. Nothing could be seen in the pitch black hole, but Dark Ace mustered all his courage and climbed down for the sake of his Emperor.

The Centurion was now in a long corridor with bodies scattered throughout the floor. Stopping in his tracks, he saw something up ahead. It was a granite block that seemed out of place since it had a red-coloured rune on one of its sides. Dark Ace then held his sword high as he saw that one of the bodies next to the block started to rise. It was a zombie, and Dark Ace was going to deal with it the way he dealt with anyone who stood in his way.

Dark Ace rushed forward and chopped off the zombie's head, letting blood ooze out of its wound. Just then, two more zombies had awakened and they slowly crept over to the Centurion. As Dark Ace hacked away at one of the zombie's limbs, it slowly fell to the floor. Dark Ace wasted no time in giving the coup de grâce to his enemy, and so he plunged his sword into the zombie's torso, obliterating it from existence.

The Centurion then dispatched with the rest of the zombies the same way. Once he was done, he walked forward and claimed his prize – the granite block.

Dark Ace walked out the door and into the next room where two more zombies waited for him.

Looking at his undead foes, he thought, _How many of these accursed things are there?_

That's when he noticed another granite block sitting on the floor in front of him. Unlike the first one, this one had a green-coloured rune on its side. Dark Ace picked up the block and then killed the zombies, now aware of how to finish them.

The Centurion walked into the next room, killing whatever zombies came his way while still trying to find the artifact. Secretly, he wished his fellow soldiers were there to provide him some back-up. This room had another granite block like the other two he had collected, but this one had a blue-coloured rune on the side.

As soon as he had the third block, the voice that called to him before had once again echoed in his mind. _"Dark Ace..."_ it said.

Dark Ace pressed on, hoping to put an end to this mystery and find the artifact. He climbed down a ladder and into a corridor with mist covering the floor. There were two doors, but one was blocked by a cage. The man had no choice but to go through the door that wasn't barricaded.

He was now in a room made out of bluish stone. As he walked into the centre, he noticed four different runes on the walls. Looking at them closely, he recognised three of them to be the same ones on the granite blocks he had collected. But the fourth rune – a yellow-coloured one – was one he did not understand. That's when he saw there was a fourth granite block in the centre of the room, which was guarded by zombies. The Centurion destroyed each zombie, letting the blood stain his fabulous sword before picking up the block.

Dark Ace was now alone in the room but he did not know where to go from there. He searched the room for some kind of clue and spotted square-shaped holes underneath each rune in the wall. Taking out the block with the corresponding rune, he placed each block in the correct hole.

(A/N: Doesn't seem like much of a puzzle, does it?)

Once each block was in place, Dark Ace thought he heard something coming from outside the room. He decided to check out what had been done, so he ran to where he came from and exited the room. The cage that blocked the other door was now gone, and so he walked through it into the next room.

This room looked like there was no other way to exit. But the one thing that truly put Dark Ace on edge was that he looked at a statue in the centre that looked identical to him. This left the man shocked to see how someone could've erected a statue in his image when these ruins were supposed to be lost for so long.

All of a sudden, a mysterious voice called out to the man, saying, _"Dark Ace, you must prove your worth by destroying this statue."_

If the Centurion was going to get his answers then he would be forced to comply. He held his weapon high and sliced away at the statue, cutting off its head and its arms before thrusting the blades into the chest. Dark Ace tried imagining the statue like it was another of his enemies to eliminate his worries.

Destroying the statue had proven effective as a passageway had opened up, and Dark Ace rushed out of the room as quickly as he could.

Now Dark Ace had entered a room where he found a stone circle with a glowing, yellow light surrounding it beside the entrance. It appeared to be some kind of switch, so the man pushed it without hesitation. The switch had closed the entrance and raised three stone spires in the room's centre where another yellow circle had emerged. The captain walked into the glowing circle and his body vanished in a flash of light.

The man was transported into a room that didn't seem like the others he had traversed. At the end of the hallway were three different effigies hovering over the red, blue and green-coloured runes he had observed in the temple. Each of them had different appearances: the red effigy was shaped like a twisted claw; the blue effigy was shaped like a distorted spearhead; and the green effigy was shaped like a crown. Dark Ace knew that these were the artifacts his Emperor had ordered him to find.

(A/N: I tried to think of things that would resemble the characters I'm using to replace the ancients. If you'll look in my Upcoming Stories, you'll see which ones they are.)

Dark Ace didn't know why, but the green artifact was calling out to him so he reached out his hand to touch it.

As soon as the man tried to grab the artifact, it immediately started to glow with green light. The energy then shot out to Dark Ace's body and made him scream as his eyes emitted the same green glow. He put his hands to the floor and the green light had now consumed his body.

A while later, Dark Ace re-emerged after what had just happened to him. Now his armour was as black as the night sky and the image of the red raven on his chest was now replaced with a golden skull. Waves of green energy still moved around on his body as he tried to upright himself. When he did, he brought his face forward and he revealed himself. His skin was now tight against his bones and his eyes were now missing their pupils. The great Centurion known as Dark Ace was now transformed into a liche.

The now undead sorcerer had a new objective in mind after his transformation. He would see to it that his new master was going to enter this world and usher in a new era of destruction.

His last passage in the Tome was this: _"Aeons have passed since then, and I have learned much. I was once as naïve as a child, but now my mind is sharp. With the power of Desiree, I can now read the thoughts of others and make them raving mad with a mere suggestion. Face me, and you shall surely perish!"

* * *

_

Back in the present time, Ophelia had looked up after reading the passage from the Tome. She thought it was odd that her grandfather had held onto something like this, and even more odd was what she had just read. But she knew her grandfather better than anyone, and she knew that this book had to be something important if it was in his possession.

_I've got to find out what happens next_, she thought.

The rest of the pages in the book were missing, and so Ophelia figured they would be hidden somewhere around the mansion. She turned her back and spotted a piece of paper hanging from the wall. From the age of the paper, she concluded that this must be the next page. Now she would see what Dark Ace was doing and how this ghost story was related to her grandfather's death.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Oh no! Now Dark Ace has turned his back on humanity and is the servant of Desiree!

Dark Ace: That's right! Fear me!

Ophelia: You don't look so tough. You're just skin and bones – literally!

Dark Ace: *veins popping* Why you...!

BlueTiger321: Hey, hey, let's not get carried away here. We've still got the other characters' parts. So folks, stay tuned for the next chapter. Until then...

Ophelia: Read and review!


	3. Chapter 2: The Binding of the Corpse God

Chapter 2: The Binding of the Corpse God

BlueTiger321: Hi there, and welcome to the next chapter. Now we get to see the sanity effects take place. If you haven't played this game and you don't know what I'm talking about then you've truly missed a great experience. Watching these while playing made me want to throw my controller at the screen in frustration! Anyway, now we get to see the next character whose destiny is intertwined with the Ancients. Enjoy!

* * *

Ophelia read the passage on the next chapter. Even though the page was ancient, she recognised the handwriting belonging to her grandfather. What truly impressed her was seeing that the writing hadn't caused any damage to the page. It must've been very important to her grandfather to take care of such a fragile document.

As she read the passage, she felt as though Roku's voice was speaking to her. It read: _"I cannot say what was the true beginning, nor am I sure of its end. So, perhaps here is the best place to start: I am reminded of ideas I first encountered in Sir James George Frazer's book 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion.' We are overwhelmed by our very human need to weave a web of meaning where there may be none. Since time immemorial, ancient peoples have dressed up their lack of knowledge as gods and demons. I have discovered that sometimes, the fates of gods and mortals intertwine – and legends are born..."_

Ophelia is now reliving the past events of a girl in the Angkor Thom region of Cambodia in 1150 A.D. The girl appeared to be almost in her teen years. Her black hair flowed freely down her back and one strand on her left side was coloured deep pink, and it matched well with her brown eyes and freckled nose. She was clothed in a green T-shirt that had a pink dragonfly-like symbol in the centre, blue jeans that revealed her midriff, brown shoes and a brown wristband with a purple gem in the centre. Her name was Juniper Lee or June as she preferred to be called.

The girl was a court dancer for the king of the Khmer Empire, Suryavarman II. She happily sat by herself inside a temple and she read from a book she happened to find by chance. What she didn't realise was that she was in fact reading the Tome of Eternal Darkness.

(A/N: This is one problem I have with the game: the historical inaccuracy. Back then, slaves did not have the knowledge to read. Then again, if this story was historically accurate, then June wouldn't be wearing the clothes she's wearing now. Go figure.)

June said aloud what she read: _"Thy time is done, Great Ancient. Forever in shadow will you be, Master of Chaos! And to fade to nothing in obscurity will be thy fate. My master has planned many millennia for this day. It is the true chaos of all things that you now must be entombed amongst the beings of flesh and bone."_

June could imagine the voice of whoever wrote the passage in her mind. Oblivious to her was that deep in the very temple where she sat was the mighty Dark Ace. The former Centurion was holding a staff that resembled a human spine with a pelvic bone at the top, and he stood before a giant creature that was covered in spikes. This beast was known as the Corpse God and the God of Chaos, Lavos – the only Ancient with a physical presence in this world.

Dark Ace stared intently at the Corpse God and knew that Lavos was charged with keeping order and balance with the other Ancients. As long as he interfered then the liche's master could never reign supreme.

"You have a great monument here, Lavos," said Dark Ace. "It is a pity that no one will ever recognise it as yours."

The evil sorcerer then swayed his arms back and forth as nine magick runes glowing in a yellow light surrounded him. The names of each rune echoed throughout the room as they formed: _Lavos, Pargon, Pargon, Bankarok, Pargon, Pargon, Aretak, Pargon, Pargon._

"May the Darkness claim thee, crawling chaos and damned beast!" said Dark Ace. "No longer will thy reign be kept over the Ancient you have kept imprisoned."

Lavos only sat in his place and growled in defiance.

"Thou hast seen the last of this world..." said Dark Ace.

Stamping his staff into the stone floor, the evil sorcerer unleashed his binding spell. Yellow energy shot out at Lavos and also caused stone pillars from the ceiling to drop onto his humongous body. Blood gushed out from each wound, forcing Lavos to cry out in pain. There was nothing the Corpse God could do since Dark Ace had weakened him. All that would be left was to wait for his slow and agonising death.

* * *

June stood up from her spot. Her life was abysmal and she yearned for something – anything – to give her excitement.

"Not even these mythical fables can keep me amused," she said. "There has to be _something_ to do around here..."

The book she had just read did not offer enough for her, but maybe it gave her the idea to do something on her own.

"I only wish something that fantastic and of higher purpose could happen to me," said June.

Without warning, the entrance to the temple immediately closed shut, trapping June inside its interior. The girl was shocked to see it and now she was forced to find another exit. It was almost as though her wish was granted.

June walked through a long hallway until she inadvertently stepped on an oddly-shaped block on the floor. That stone had triggered one of the many traps within the temple – and now the girl could see darts shooting out of the wall. Stepping carefully and within the time of the shooting darts, she avoided the trap without injury.

_Note to self: don't step on the weird tiles_, she thought.

Treading carefully, the girl managed to stay away from the tiles that activated any traps and then entered the next room. The entryway was then blocked once she stepped through, and now she found herself against a strange creature. It was a zombie, but this one was red with muscle bound to its bones. The zombie was aligned with the Ancient known as Trigon. It turned its head to look at June and slowly marched its way over to her.

June looked at this horrifying figure and suddenly felt like her mind was beginning to lose strength. She could not understand it, but she was now losing her sanity and it was affecting her cognitive skills. All she could understand was that she had to get rid of this zombie, and fast. Luckily for her she carried a short sword for defending herself, and so she hacked away at the zombie's limbs. The second she cut off the zombie's left arm, it looked like it was about to regenerate. June kept slashing away, causing blood to spurt onto the floor and walls. Eventually, she caused the zombie to fall down. June slashed downward and destroyed the zombie, and had regained her mental status in doing so.

With the creature gone, June then searched for a way to exit the room. She spotted three mysterious candles with a carved picture behind them depicting the time of day. It appeared as though it was night time. The girl thought this must be some kind of puzzle to test whoever entered this place, and so she blew out all three candles.

Her ingenuity proved effective as one passageway opened partially. The girl knew she couldn't go out the way she came so she took a separate passageway into the next corridor, carefully avoiding more traps until she came into the next room.

June looked around for some kind of clue and that's when she spotted a stone statue. It was one of the goddesses that her people worshipped, and around its neck was an elegant necklace. The girl thought there was nothing wrong in taking this necklace since she thought she desperately needed the money. She would find some way to pay back this goddess for the generous offer.

Suddenly, the entrance from where June had come was sealed shut by two massive stone blocks. Now she had to find another way out.

The girl eventually found another corridor and kept walking, trying as hard as she could to leave this temple for good.

In the next room, she came upon another undead foe, but this one was coloured blue and its skin almost appeared like leather. This was a zombie under the alignment of the Ancient known as Tabuu.

Once again, the entryway shut behind June and now she was left to battle this monster. The girl vanquished the zombie with little effort but still felt like her mind was being shattered to pieces.

Now she was going to attempt this room's puzzle. The candles in the room were all lit but the scene in the background was different. The sun was now at noon, so June blew out the two candles on the left and right sides, leaving the one in the middle still lit.

The partially-opened door in this room was now completely open, and June took this chance to escape.

June walked down the next hallway and narrowly avoided spinning axes after setting off the trap. She turned to a passage to her right and found a pedestal with something resting on its ledge. It was a long, carved piece of wood with two holes on each end. June knew that it was a blowgun, and she took it immediately. Now she had another defence against anything else that might attack her. It turned out to be a mistake as a trapdoor opened underneath her feet, causing the girl to scream as she fell down the shaft.

* * *

June had fallen into another area, and she landed hard on her feet but didn't suffer too much injury. She scanned the area and gasped, feeling a little excited as to what lay before her.

"A secret passage in the temple?" she said.

Her focus was broken when she heard a scream. The girl was relieved to know that she wasn't alone in the temple but was scared to know what had caused the other person to cry out in fear. She looked on the floor and saw her short sword. It had been broken when June fell down the shaft, but she knew she had the blowgun she had recently acquired. It may not be very powerful but it would have to do.

Picking up what was left of her broken sword, June ran to who made the cry for help. There, she saw two zombies coloured green and covered in what looked to be strips of cloth. These zombies were aligned with the Ancient known as Desiree.

June wasted no time in helping the guard, a man named Toshiro Hitsugaya (_Bleach_). The girl aimed her blowgun and destroyed one of the zombie's arms. Unexpectedly, the arm was now replaced with a green glow that twisted and took form. This zombie had the ability to grow ethereal versions of lost limbs.

June was shocked to see this happen, and that was the time the zombie needed to touch the girl with its ethereal hand. The girl screamed as her mind was now suddenly thrown into chaos as she was losing her sanity.

June then looks at you, the reader, and aims her blowgun. A hole in the computer screen appears where June had fired the dart.

(A/N: That was one of the game's sanity effects! I'll try to write at least one or two per chapter at this point.)

The girl shook her head after the zombie's attack and shouted, "This... isn't... really... happening!"

June was brought back to reality and so she quickly dispatched with the zombies. Her mind was set at ease when she destroyed them and saved Toshiro.

"Thank you for saving me," said Toshiro. Seeing the girl's broken weapon, he decides to show his gratitude. "Here, let me repair your sword."

Toshiro had then cast a three-point spell with each rune around him glowing yellow: _Antorbok, Magormor, Lavos_.

June was surprised the guard was able to use magick, but now she had to worry about getting out of the temple. She thanked Toshiro and walked down the opposite way of the corridor.

As June walked through the temple, she came upon a room with a Trigon zombie and a Desiree zombie. The girl was ready to fight them both, but then strangely the two started to attack each other. She thought the two were supposed to be on the same side but they were attacking each other? The victor of this battle was the Trigon zombie.

Looking at this display in confusion, she thought, _What's going on here?_

June thought it was irrelevant. If the enemies were attacking each other then it suited her just fine. Not wanting to get the other zombie's attention, she quickly exited the room.

* * *

The girl had now found herself in a giant room. She didn't know what to make of this place since it didn't seem like any of the other rooms she visited. Her nerves were almost shot when she heard a low growling sound.

Looking ahead, the girl saw a giant, spiked creature in the room's centre. She thought this creature was now in pain as it breathed heavily. A feeling of lament soon washed over the girl as she watched this poor beast suffer.

All of a sudden, June felt like she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard someone call out to her.

"Stop!" said the mysterious voice. "Don't go near it!"

The girl turned around and saw two guards named Lenny and Carl (_The Simpsons_) doing whatever they could to protect her. All of a sudden, a large tendril grabbed Lenny and dragged him away screaming. Carl looked on and tried to run but was then snatched away by another tendril. June covered her mouth and gasped in fright upon seeing the two guards get taken away and become a feast for the spiked creature.

At that moment, someone else walked into the room. June could see this person was a malicious figure. It was Dark Ace and he all he did was watch with delight.

"So, you are reduced to feeding on flesh and bone, Lavos," said Dark Ace. "How the mighty have fallen. You will surely fester for millennia to come, a slow and torturous fate for thee..."

June stared in silence, unaware of what was happening. She wished she had never come into this temple after witnessing such horrors.

Dark Ace then noticed June's presence. "You had best leave, young fool," he said threateningly, "or you will find yourself as food for the Dead God!"

The evil sorcerer took his leave, and June stared after him. To her, she knew this man was dangerous and she would see to it to avoid him at all costs. What she didn't realise was a golden statue in front of Lavos was emitting a yellow surge of energy. The energy shot into June, causing her to scream in pain and forced her to her knees. June lied unconscious on the steps as the energy pulsed around her body.

* * *

The girl had regained consciousness a while later. It took her a few seconds for her eyes to readjust to the dim light shining in the room but she could make out a foot standing in front of her. Turning her head up had revealed to her Carl, one of the guards who helped her earlier. His body was now pale and scabbed after Lavos had sucked out his life force.

"You are one of the chosen many, flesh and blood," said Carl.

June was still too weak to do anything, but the guard had managed to get her to lie facing upward on the steps.

"It is now your destiny to fight the Eternal Darkness," said Carl. He had now pulled out a strange object that pulsed like a beating heart and glowed with a yellow aura. "I give you a gift in return for an obligation. The gift is your life, sweet dancer. The obligation is this."

June was given the object, and she looked up intently at Carl as he was about to give her instructions.

"You hold one of Lavos's hearts – the essence of the Corpse God!" he said. "To some it is a source of great power. From those people, you must defend it, lest they use it to destroy what little brightness your world has left in it..."

The essence of Lavos then glowed once again with a yellow aura as Carl said, "Guard it well!"

June didn't know what this object would do now, and so the essence of Lavos burrowed itself into June's body. The girl let out a surprised yelp and her eyes momentarily glowed yellow. She bowed her head down while Carl's deceased body walked away to rest for eternity. The girl understood the task she had been given, and now it was up to her to see to it that her burden didn't end up in the wrong hands.

Looking up at the statue that stood in front of Lavos, June found a metal staff lying across its arms. She picked it up and took it with her as she went out the passage where she entered.

June walked back through the corridor and came face-to-face with a zombie approaching her. Her sanity was beginning to weaken as the zombie's lifeless eyes stared intently on her. She tried to think of a way to get rid of it, and that's when she remembered that there was an assortment of traps in this hallway. The girl smirked as she stepped on a switch on the floor, and the zombie had walked right through a spinning blade that came out of the wall, slicing its body in half and sending blood splattering everywhere.

Stepping out of the blades, June finished off the zombie with her short sword and exited the corridor. The girl secretly congratulated herself for being so resourceful.

Now June was in a room with a monolith surrounded by torches in the centre. She noticed a small slot that looked like something long could fit into it. Taking out the metal staff, she stuck it into the slot and used it as a lever. A large sound echoed throughout the temple, and June must've figured that she opened a door somewhere. She walked out of the room to find her next objective.

The girl walked back into the room where Lavos was contained. On the other side of the room was a large entryway that was locked before, but June realised she had opened it with the staff. She walked past Lavos cautiously for fear that she would end up being his next meal. Eventually, the girl made it to the entryway.

* * *

June was now in a room with a goddess statue that held out its arms in a gracious manner. The girl stopped in her tracks when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Dark Ace, and she could see he was irritated over something.

"Fool!" said the liche. "You should have run! Instead you will die! Where is the essence of Lavos?"

June could do nothing but walk backwards as she saw the re-animated bodies of the guards Lenny and Carl walk up to Dark Ace's side. The evil sorcerer had claimed their bodies for his servitude. The dead guards had grabbed June by her shoulders. She tried to struggle free but they proved to be stronger than she was.

"Where is it?" Dark Ace demanded. Now he was growing impatient. "I will not ask again, child!"

June had remembered her duty. The object she now carried within her body was something that must never be used for evil. Her only response to Dark Ace was silence.

Dark Ace knew this girl wasn't going to talk, so he would carry out her sentence. "Very well, then," he said. "You will succumb to the horrors of oblivion."

June shrieked as Dark Ace held up his left hand, and it began to glow in a green light. A spell had been cast on the girl and she was bathed in the magickal energy. Her body then limped to the floor – lifeless.

The evil sorcerer then left the temple without the one thing he required, not knowing that it was actually close to him.

* * *

Ophelia had finished reading the second chapter in the Tome, and she now saw what kind of maniacal things Dark Ace is capable of doing.

_He really is a psychopath_, she thought.

Before Ophelia could say anything else, three candles were mysteriously lit next to one of the book shelves. She was almost frightened by how it happened but she decided to investigate. Ophelia remembered that this was similar to something June had done, and so she noticed a painting on the wall of the sun setting in the west. The girl blew out the middle and right candles, and a stack of books underneath the case had moved.

The books were hiding a secret compartment where a message tube was placed. Ophelia opened up the tube and found the next chapter to the book. After witnessing what had already happened, the girl almost didn't want to find out if something else terrible would happen to another innocent person.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Poor June!

June: Hey, why did I have to die?

BlueTiger321: Don't blame me! I just cast you for the part.

Dark Ace: Finally! I got some payback after what you did to me in Super Aerrow Bros.!

June: Yeah, but you're still a butt head! *kicks Dark Ace in the shin*

Dark Ace: Ow!

BlueTiger321: So folks, I hope you all stay tuned for the next chapter. Until next time...

June: Read and review!


	4. Chapter 3: Suspicions of Conspiracy

Chapter 3: Suspicions of Conspiracy

BlueTiger321: Okay, so now Ophelia is about to read the next chapter. First, here's some trivia: the game Eternal Darkness is actually based on some of the works from the author H. P. Lovecraft. His literary principle was that life was not understandable to the minds of human beings and that the universe is ultimately a place unknown to all of us. Ironically, he was born in Rhode Island, which is where the Roivas Family Estate is located. Now then, I guess it's time for me to stop explaining things and start giving you what you really want. Enjoy!

* * *

Dark Ace stood in a dark, foreboding chamber. In front of him was a giant mirror. This was the only place where he could communicate with his master about his progress to bring her into this world and where he could warn her about what may be.

The evil sorcerer had cast a five-point spell and the runes formed around him, glowing in green light. They echoed out their names as they took form: _Tier, Pargon, Desiree, Redgormor, Pargon._

The mirror started glowing with green magickal energy. Dark Ace was now in view of his master, which was a woman with long, black hair, red eyes and ghostly-green skin. A small blue crown adorned her head and she looked at her servant with great intent. This woman was none other than the Ancient of the mind and insanity, Desiree.

As Dark Ace faced his master, the magick that kept the spell intact swirled around him. "Your presence is welcome, majesty," he said, bowing before the Ancient in respect. "As always I am honoured."

"Our dealings are a pleasure to us both then..." said Desiree. Her face then immediately changed to one of sadism. "He lies..." she whispered. Desiree once again changed back to her normal composure. "As do we all..." Again, her visage changed. "What is this flaw you wish to discuss with us...?"

(A/N: In the game Xel'lotath has two different voices, so just imagine that Desiree has a split personality or something. Besides, she definitely acts like that! XD)

"My concern is with the other Ancients," replied Dark Ace. "Tabuu... Trigon... Should they unite with Lavos, they will doubtlessly possess enough power to vanquish even thee..."

"As dark abhors light and light abhors dark, the others will not – cannot – join forces!" Desiree had changed her visage again. "Lavos will be bound, and the others will sink into insanity when I return..." She changed her attitude again. "As has been foretold..."

"I was unaware," said Dark Ace.

"There is much you do not know..." said Desiree normally before changing to her other personality, "...and much you never will." Once again, she was normal. "Be certain to retrieve Lavos's essence. It is necessary to cement our place in your world..."

"Then what of Charlemagne the Frank? What do you intend for him?"

Desiree was rather displeased with this news Dark Ace had presented to her.

"The Frank is an instrument of Light – he seeks to unite Europe under his banner," she said in her normal tone. She then changed to her insane personality. "With this in place, my Guardians will be hard pressed to perform the functions you require..." Desiree changed personalities as she said, "...for your own schemes, Dark Ace, think of your future."

Dark Ace had gotten the request from his master. Smirking, he said, "Then Charlemagne will be removed from the picture."

The Ancient's insane personality took over as she said, "Make sure he is dead... or insane..." Her normal personality regained control. "Or perhaps one, then the other... Just make sure he is removed from power."

"Of course!" said Dark Ace. "He is as good as dead." The liche knew how he was going to take care of this disturbance, and his master would be most pleased with the results.

* * *

Ophelia read her grandfather's next notes in the book. It read: _"From my research, it is apparent that the endeavours of mankind are mere puppetry at the hands of the Ancients. Whenever a king vows reform, the Ancients move quickly to stifle it. Under the auspices of Emperor Charlemagne the Frank, the new Holy Roman Empire was at the height of its power."_

This time, Ophelia is seeing through the eyes of a boy in Amiens, France in 814 A.D. The boy was around fourteen years of age and his unruly red hair was spiked forward but was short enough to reveal his green eyes. He wore a red and blue-patched shirt and pants along with brown boots and brown gloves with black fingertips. Pieces of armour were scattered around his body, and an insignia of a blue hawk was painted on his left shoulder plate. The same insignia was also fashioned into metal and clung to his back. The boy's name was Aerrow, and he was a messenger for the Emperor.

The messenger boy was inside a monastery and he knelt before a monk in black robes named Long Feng. He ordered the boy to rise and looked him in the eye as he gave Aerrow his orders.

Long Feng dropped a scroll into Aerrow's hands as he said, "Deliver this to our lord and Emperor, Charlemagne the Frank. No one but him must see it. They are words for his eyes only. At once...!"

The monk took his leave, and Aerrow walked away to the exit. Once outside, he looked around to make sure he was alone. This didn't bode well for him and he somehow got the feeling that his task was for some dark purpose. If this scroll was for his Emperor then he had to make sure it was safe.

Aerrow unrolled the scroll and his eyes were set into shock. A beam of magick leapt off the paper and hit Aerrow in the chest, causing him to scream in fright as he was knocked on his back. He immediately stood up with magick surging throughout his body.

"What sorcery is this?" he said, horrified and perplexed. "A spell...? I am bewitched! If this was meant for Charlemagne, then what will become of him?" Aerrow know understood what was to come and he now had set out his own task. "I must warn him of this treachery!"

With that, the boy rushed off to find his Emperor and inform him of the attempt on his life.

* * *

Aerrow now stood in Oublié Cathedral. It was a quaint place of worship for the people of the Empire. Rows of wooden benches sat neatly before the altar, the brilliant stone pillars kept the interior in place, and light shone through the windows like they came from the heaven's themselves.

The boy walked up to a monk named Renkotsu (_InuYasha_) and said, "I have some important information for Charlemagne. Do you know where he is?"

The monk thought hard, and after a few seconds he replied, "He was last seen in audience with the Bishop in the visiting chamber."

Aerrow bowed in thanks, and then walked towards the visiting chamber. He turned the knob and found the door to be locked. Only the Bishop had the key so the boy would have to seek him out to acquire it.

Then, something else caught the corner of his eye. Feeling curious, he walked down the aisle towards the altar. There, the boy spotted a wooden casket that wasn't properly sealed. Something was suspicious about this, so Aerrow opened up the casket. What he saw made him feel like he was going to vomit. Lying in the casket was one of the monks with a large gash in his chest. Blood was oozing out of the wound, indicating that this was recent.

Aerrow cried out to let the other monks know what he had discovered. He looked away and tried to get the image of the dead man's eyes staring at him out of his head.

"You have proven what we have feared the most," said Renkotsu. "This poor man has been the victim of great evil." He then pointed to the body in reference to what he explained. "Look how his body has been defiled, as if something has burst out from inside him."

The monk reached behind his back and pulled out two daggers, giving them to Aerrow.

"Here, take these for your protection, and find the Bishop!" said Renkotsu. "He must be informed of this horrible discovery."

The monk left Aerrow, and now he was more motivated to put an end to this conspiracy. He quickly moved up a flight of stairs to the top floor, eager to find the Bishop.

Once Aerrow got to the top floor, he felt like he had walked into an alternate plane. He knew the cathedral well and didn't recognise this room at all. The walls in the cathedral were made of sandstone, but the walls in this room appeared to be made of granite. A long hallway also stood before him and he noticed two statues on either side of him. The first statue only showed the lower body of a person, and at the base the name _Dark Ace_ was carved. The second statue appeared to be a girl in clothes the boy did not recognise, and the name _Juniper Lee_ was inscribed at the bottom.

Aerrow walked forward while he tried to make sense of this mysterious place. Each step he took made him feel like a stake was being driven into his skull. Looking down he saw the faces of people in the stone screaming in terror. At the end of the room was a giant, leathery hand that opened up to reveal the Tome of Eternal Darkness. The boy got the feeling that this book was searching for an owner. He didn't know what would happen but he wanted to get out of this terrible place quickly.

The second Aerrow took possession of the Tome, the memories of an evil sorcerer and a court dancer flooded his mind. It all soon vanished as the boy realised he was back in the cathedral on the stairs before he got to the top floor.

Aerrow then grabbed his head as pain took over him. Waves of yellow magickal energy surged throughout his body and he was forced to kneel on the top step. The spell that inflicted him was taking affect. Time was now of the essence if he was to complete his mission.

The boy walked into the room and noticed an elegant blue urn sitting on a bookcase. He picked it up and carried it with him, thinking it might be useful.

(A/N: It makes you wonder how these characters are able to carry such awkward things with them.)

Aerrow was about to leave but then saw something on a desk. It was a medallion with three dots connected to each other. The medallion had then reacted to the Tome and shone with a white light. The boy had now obtained a Circle of Power.

Now with his newfound objects, Aerrow proceeded to go to the bookshelf sitting at the back of the room. One of the books seemed out of place so he decided to align it. The moment he touched it, a section of the wall had moved to reveal a secret hole with a ladder connected to it.

Aerrow climbed down the ladder and was now in a dark and dank room. There, he faced a zombie with a menacing look on its face. The boy also saw something out of the ordinary floating in the zombie's chest. It looked like a distorted cross with the left bar angled downward, the tip of the bottom angled down to the left, and the right bar having a small vertical line at the tip.

(A/N: I'll do my best to describe each rune in the game but your best bet would be to go to the Eternal Darkness Wiki to find out what they all look like.)

Aerrow brought out his daggers and activated the crystals in the hilts. The blades now shone with blue energy, casting the light in the dark corridor. The boy slashed away at the zombie and let the blood splatter his armour.

Aerrow had made the zombie submit, and so he plunged his blades into his enemy's torso. The symbol in the zombie's chest was now for the boy to claim. It was the rune called Antorbok and it meant 'to project.'

The boy was now faced with more foes in the corridor, so he dealt with them the same way he did the first one. Every time he looked at the zombies he could feel his mental strength waning. But his own problems were unimportant at this time; he still had to warn Charlemagne.

* * *

Aerrow walked into the next room and gasped at what he saw. A monk was in the room with him but he could not see his face because he was facing off against a zombie. The monk held a torch in his hand and swayed it in front of him to keep the zombie at bay.

"Back to Hell, demon!" shouted the monk.

The monk brought the torch closer to the zombie and it shouted as if it was in pain. The flames only grazed its body but it ran away from the monk. It was such a shock that the monk accidentally dropped the torch. The fire on the zombie had now consumed its body and it walked into a drape and fell to the floor. The flames spread to the drape and reduced the fabric to ashes, revealing a hidden door.

It wasn't over as Aerrow noticed more zombies approaching. He ran over to help the monk who cowered in a corner of the room. There were too many zombies coming at Aerrow, and that's when he remembered what fire had done to one of them. The messenger boy looked on the floor and noticed the torch was still lit. He picked it up and waved it around, incinerating the zombies and turning them to ashes. Now Aerrow was given an effective weapon against the undead as well as a source of light in the darkness of the cathedral.

Aerrow used the torch to look around and found three broken pieces lying on the floor. They were all coloured green and made of the same compound as the blue urn. The boy decided to take them with him. He did his best to assemble the pieces into an urn, but there was nothing to keep them together.

Aerrow went to check on the monk named Sephiroth (_Final Fantasy VII_). "Thank you," he said. "Those beasts would've killed me if you hadn't come. Here, take this."

The monk had given the boy a two-edged sword for his troubles. The new weapon was heavy but it definitely seemed strong and sharp. Aerrow left the monk and made his way past the hidden door.

Aerrow walked down a flight of stairs in a hurry. What waited for him at the bottom had made him get into a fighting stance. It was a zombie, and this one also had another rune within its body.

With his new sword, Aerrow cut through the zombie with little trouble. He finished it off and had gained another rune. This one was of a horizontal line with two vertical lines; one long going through the left end, and one short going through the middle. This rune was called Magormor and it meant 'item.'

Aerrow walked into the next room, and the pain he felt before had returned. The yellow energy once again coursed through his body and this time changed his appearance. His skin was now turning pale and he felt his voice turn deep.

_I must hurry_, he thought.

The boy saw another urn in this room. He looked and saw it coloured red. He picked it up and felt it heavier than the blue urn and noticed it was filled with water. There was a small fountain in this room, and so he figured this must be where it had been filled. He decided to do the same with the blue urn, but he fumbled with it and let it fall to the floor. The blue urn was now broken to pieces and Aerrow scolded himself for being so clumsy.

Breaking the urn, Aerrow had found something contained within it. It was another rune but, like the urn, was coloured blue. Aerrow could feel it coursing with power unlike the other runes. It looked cross-shaped in the middle but had a short line going horizontally at the top, a long line going down at the right tip, a middle-sized line going down the left, and three lines in an M-shaped pattern under the left line. This rune was aligned under the Ancient of magick and dimensional planes, Tabuu. Not knowing how to use this newly-acquired rune, Aerrow walked on to the next room.

The boy came into a room where he found the Bishop who hadn't taken notice of Aerrow. All he was focused on was going into a secret passage in the wall, which shut behind him.

The only thing Aerrow could do now was search this room for anything that could help him. That's when he spotted a scroll lying on the table. He read it carefully and recognised the runes he picked up earlier. The scroll specified the incantation for the spell called Enchant Item.

(A/N: I know it doesn't make much sense that Aerrow can use magick and June can't because chronologically, Aerrow's chapter would come before June's chapter. But I didn't make this game.)

Aerrow decided to cast this newfound spell. From reading the scroll, he understood that the incantation could work on strengthening weapons with magick and repairing broken items. The boy cast the three-point spell, causing the runes around him to appear in blue light and call out their names: _Antorbok, Magormor, Tabuu._

The second Aerrow cast his spell, the magickal energy was too much for him to control and his upper body exploded in a shower of blood.

Back in reality, the boy shook his head and shouted, "This... can't... be... happening!" The battles with all the undead creatures took its toll on Aerrow's psyche.

After calming down for a while, Aerrow tried the spell again. This time, however, he was successful and the blue urn had been fixed. Now he did the same with the fragments of the green urn. The magick had once again been proven effective, and now Aerrow had three urns in his possession.

The messenger boy then walked back down the hallway towards the fountain to fill up the urns with water. He thought there must be a reason why the red urn was filled and not the others. Once each urn was filled, he walked back to the room with the secret passage.

Something important had to be in the secret passageway, but Aerrow couldn't figure out how to get it open. As soon as he stepped forward, he saw a triangular pattern on the floor. Three circles were at the tip of each angle and it looked like something could fit into each one. The boy tried using the urns: the blue at the top, the green on the right, and the red on the left.

Suddenly, Aerrow's problem had been solved. The secret passageway opened, allowing him to move onward.

* * *

Aerrow was now in a room with the Bishop whom he saw enter the passageway. The Bishop named Domiwick (_Storm Hawks_) turned around and looked at the boy with malicious intent.

"So..." said Domiwick, "...you have come to return my book. Very well, then. For your efforts, I promise a quick and merciful death."

Aerrow could feel his sanity going down as he looked into Domiwick's eyes. The Bishop must've been one of the conspirators trying to bring down the Emperor. The boy raised his sword high and sliced off the Bishop's head, causing blood to splatter out as the head rolled along the floor. Aerrow could swear that blood was also dripping from the walls, but he thought it was the blood he spilled in taking down Domiwick.

(A/N: The blood dripping from the walls is another sanity effect.)

Aerrow searched Domiwick's body and found the key to the visiting chamber. He took it, thinking this accursed monk would no longer need it. His attention then turned to something in the back of the room. Candles were lit before a stone carving of what looked to be an otherworldly creature. Aerrow thought this must be a shrine to some ancient evil being. If this was under the cathedral and the monks had access to it then he was certain they could not be trusted.

The messenger boy walked out of the room and he felt the curse on him was getting stronger. The waves of magickal energy once again pulsed, and the pupils in his eyes were now missing. He didn't know how much more he could take but he had to endure as much as he could until he warned Emperor Charlemagne.

As soon as Aerrow walked into the hallway from the secret study, he could hear footsteps coming closer to him. He stopped as he saw a small creature that looked almost like a scorpion, except it was much larger than any insect and its skin was coloured green. Aerrow saw it stumbling around and thought the creature was either blind or had poor eyesight. He didn't know it, but this was a Trapper under Desiree's alignment and it had the power to send people to another realm if it caught them.

Aerrow tiptoed as best as he could to get away from the Trapper so as to make as little noise as possible. But it proved ineffective as the creature sensed Aerrow and caught him in a green vortex, causing him to disappear.

* * *

The boy had now been transported into a strange place. There were stone platforms that were split off from each other. Mist covered the deep bottom where every platform was split. All the platforms had a strange circle glowing in a different colour, but the one Aerrow was on had the light interchange between red, blue, green and yellow.

This had become a hindrance to the boy, so he had to get out as soon as possible. In the distance he noticed the farthest platform with a stairway leading up to an altar. Aerrow assumed that must be the way out so he waited for the circle in front of him to change to yellow to correspond with the other platform's circle.

The boy walked on the circle and was transported to the platform he desired. Walking up the steps, Aerrow boarded the centre of the altar and stepped onto a disk made of tiles.

Yellow energy surrounded him and he was back in the cathedral from where the creature had transported him. He pressed onward, glad to see the Trapper was no longer there.

Aerrow now felt the spell becoming worse as the waves of magickal energy returned and pain racked his body. Scabs had now formed on his face and he was forced to walk with a limp. If this continued, he would not be able to reach Charlemagne in time so he willed his aching muscles to continue.

The boy was now back in the cathedral's top floor and he suddenly felt like an earthquake was coming. The floor shook with such vigour and it was coupled with a low growling sound. Aerrow turned around and his face was set into shock as he was now face-to-face with a giant, green-skinned monster with three gaping eyes: one on its head and one on each of its shoulders. This creature was known as a Horror and it was aligned with Desiree.

The Horror let out a fearsome roar and had created a green wall of energy in front of the staircase leading to the cathedral, cutting off Aerrow's escape. The boy knew that if he had any hope of getting to Charlemagne then this monster would have to be destroyed. Aerrow rushed in and swiped his sword at one of the creature's eyes. The Horror then let out a shriek of pain and held its damaged eye as blood oozed out of its wound. Aerrow got the impression that the eyes were its weak spots so he slashed at the rest while the creature was distracted. Once all the eyes were destroyed, the Horror toppled to the floor and Aerrow stabbed his sword into the creature's torso. The Horror was obliterated and the green wall vanished, allowing Aerrow to go down the stairs.

Aerrow walked back into the main hall and ran to the door leading to the Bishop's visiting chamber. With the key he got from the Bishop's body, he placed it in the lock and opened the door. Now he was sure that Charlemagne the Frank would get the news.

* * *

Aerrow walked into the room and was appalled at what he found. In the room lying on the floor was Charlemagne's body. The boy was too late to deliver his warning and he cried out in disbelief.

"No!" cried Aerrow. "Charlemagne!"

At that moment, the spell on Aerrow had pulsed once again and the boy dropped to the floor as the last of his life was being depleted. In his final breath, he uttered, "I have failed you..."

All the monks who witnessed this event thought it joyous that the Emperor was now dead and the messenger boy trying to warn him had met the same fate.

One of the monks named M. Bison (_Street Fighter_) looked down at the boy and said, "You were a fool for trying to save him, Aerrow. His fate was decided many centuries ago, as is the fate of this world. Despite your faith, there is little to save you from the power of Desiree!"

The monk was finished giving his rant and his body then convulsed as something burst forth from inside him. Blood spewed everywhere as a slender creature shaped like a praying mantis came out, its head being swirling green dots of light. This was a Bonethief aligned with Desiree and it growled as soon as it was free. The reign of Charlemagne the Frank was now over because of the interference of the Ancients.

* * *

Ophelia had finished reading the chapter and was shocked to see something like this happen to a historical figure. In her mind, she surmised that the Ancients would ensure anything in order to secure their existence in this world. Seeing this had made her think that her grandfather was somehow researching these Ancients.

She headed out of the study to try and find the next chapter of the Tome. Running up the stairs to the second floor, she unlocked the door with a silver key. Unfortunately the key was fragile and broke upon being placed in the lock.

Ophelia then remembered how Aerrow was able to repair objects from reading the chapter. The girl was quick-witted and so she studied from the Tome how to use magick. Concentrating, she cast the Enchant Item spell and repaired the key. The door was unlocked and Ophelia walked into the second floor hallway.

She had now walked into her bedroom and headed for the private bathroom. Upon reaching the bathtub, the girl let out a horrified scream. There was a vision of herself lying dead in the tub filled with blood. Ophelia ran out as quickly as she could and tried to get the vision out of her head.

The girl had run back down the hallway and into her grandfather's bedroom. It had a certain charm to it with its hardwood floor and walls painted green, but Ophelia had more important things than to admire the room's décor. She looked up and noticed a slip of paper sticking out from behind a painting. Taking it out, she saw it was the next chapter of the Tome. She hoped at this point that one more person would not have to unwillingly be caught in this mystery.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Phew! That chapter was pretty intense!

Dark Ace: Yes! My arch-nemesis has finally been defeated!

Aerrow: Oh yeah. You can't beat me in the show on your own so you have to get your lackeys to do it for you!

Dark Ace: Pretty big coming from someone who's supposed to be dead.

Aerrow: Grrr!

BlueTiger321: Well folks, while they sort things out, I'll say thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter. Until next time...

Aerrow: Read and review!


	5. Chapter 4: The Gift of Forever

Chapter 4: The Gift of Forever

BlueTiger321: Hi everyone! This is BlueTiger321 here with the latest chapter. Who's going to be the next unfortunate victim in this horror story? You'll have to read on and find out for yourselves! Mwa, ha, ha, ha, ha! O_OU Um, pretend that didn't happen. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

The next part of Roku's research notes was on the page, and Ophelia read them carefully. All the while she still imagined that her own grandfather was speaking to her. It read: _"Dreams... Modern psychology offers only unproven theories. Some see them as the meaningless tossing and turning of a brain settling into a restful sleep. Others see them as laden with symbols of our unconscious desires. To still others, dreams represent the upwelling of the archetypes, normally hidden deep within the recesses of the human collective unconscious. Of one thing I am certain: after a brush with the Ancients, our dreams metamorphosize into nightmares..."_

Now Ophelia was looking through the point of view of a man in Persia in the year 565 A.D. The man was twenty-three years old and had tanned skin with black hair and brown eyes. His clothing made him look to be in poverty as he walked barefoot and wore a purple vest, white baggy pants with a patch on the right knee, a brown band around his waist, and a small red hat. This man was named Aladdin.

The poor man, or street rat as some often called him, was walking through a desert. Sweat beaded from his brow and he breathed heavily from dehydration. The hot sand stung his feet with each step he took but he was ever-diligent in completing his quest. He had spent a long, uncountable time in the desert looking for something that would bring his greatest desire. At that moment, he looked up and shielded his eyes with his hand from the sun. He then stopped to remember for whom he was trying to please.

_Aladdin's memories came flooding back to him. He knelt before a beautiful woman lying on a couch in an elegant room. She too had tanned skin, black hair and brown eyes, except she was clothed in a sleeveless blue top, blue pants and golden shoes. Red lipstick made her lips appear like a bouquet of roses, her golden triangular-shaped earrings shone brightly in the light, and a sapphire headpiece adorned her forehead. This twenty-two-year-old woman was named Jasmine, and she was Aladdin's love interest._

_ "I have implored you for years, yet you ignore all my advances," said Aladdin. "You dominate my dreams and I can think of nothing else. I fear I desire you many hundred times more than you love me."_

_ Jasmine then thought if this man truly loved her then he should prove it. "My life has become a waking dream, Aladdin," she said. "For weeks I have dreamed of an ancient treasure so precious that it changes all life around it. It must be mine, Aladdin... If you truly desire me, as you say, then you will find this for me. Bring this treasure to me, and I will be yours. Both of our dreams will come true."_

_ Aladdin would do anything for this woman, even if it meant sacrificing himself. "I need nothing more than you," he said. "You have enthralled me to the point where I can think of nothing else. Promise – if I leave, you will not forget about me."_

_ "You need not worry. I desire nothing more than the treasure that you seek. Leave now, Aladdin, and I shall await you."_

Jasmine's final words were what kept Aladdin motivated and so he continued forward. Eventually, he stopped at a structure where five stone pillars had spread out into a circle. One of the pillars had runes carved into its side. The street rat stopped in his tracks when a mysterious voice called out to him.

_"Aladdin..."_ said the voice.

The man felt shivers travel down his spine as to who would call to him in the middle of this barren place. Still, he walked forward just as yellow beams of light formed around the stone pillars to make a pentagonal pattern. The beams then shot at Aladdin, causing him to yelp as his body soon vanished.

* * *

Aladdin had now been transported to what appeared to be an ancient temple. The walls were coloured with deep hues of blue and purple, and torches cast their light around each corner. The man didn't know what was going on but brought out his tulwar for his protection. He saw there was a hole with a ladder connected to it. In an attempt to go down the hole, Aladdin suddenly felt like he stepped into an alternate world as everything around him rippled like water.

Now the street rat was in a room where screams began to fill his ears. Looking around he saw statues lined along the path leading to a giant hand that held something in its fingers. He looked at the closest statue and saw it to be a boy covered in armour. At the bottom was the name _Aerrow_ carved into the stone. The hand opened up when Aladdin approached it and the Tome of Eternal Darkness was now for the man to take. The moment he laid his hands on it did the memories of all the Tome's previous owners come flooding into his mind. The experience of one of the owners had now allowed him to use magick.

Aladdin was now back inside the temple, now aware of the meaning of that strange trip. The man looked and saw he wasn't alone as zombies were now present in the room. He swung his tulwar proficiently, cutting down his foes and let their remains pool in their own blood. But each time he attacked, he could feel his sanity beginning to fall. Delivering three downward slashes to each fallen zombie gave him some piece of mind and so he climbed down the hole.

Before he climbed down, he noticed the body of a fallen soldier lying next to the hole. Wounds had covered his torso where his armour had failed, and Aladdin knew that he had to be on his guard if he was to venture farther into this unknown place.

Aladdin was now inside a dark cavern. Up ahead he spotted an object standing by itself. Walking closer and taking precaution, the man saw it to be a statuette that resembled a man. Thinking that it might be important, he took it and continued forward.

The street rat kept walking down the cavern but was faced with another zombie blocking his path. The space was dark and so Aladdin had a hard time with aiming for his foe. Eventually, he could feel his blade making contact with flesh and saw it stained with blood. The zombie fell to the ground and Aladdin delivered the final blow.

From within the zombie's body came out something odd. The man could see it was a magickal rune. It was shaped like a capital H angled to the right and had two downward diagonal lines on its right side. This rune was called Santak and it meant 'self.' With the rune in his possession, Aladdin had moved on to find a ladder leading up a hole in the cavern's ceiling. A feeling of relief swept over the street rat as he had found a way out of the darkness.

Aladdin was now in a room where a monolith was in the centre and three circular disks made of red stones were all around it. The statuette was starting to feel heavy, so the man thought here was the best place to keep it. As Aladdin placed it on one of the stone disks, he could feel it shift as the statuette's weight pushed it into place. He got the feeling that somehow these disks were connected to each other and that he would have to find something else heavy in order to solve this puzzle.

Moving on, he walked to another ladder that was blocked by a wall of magick. In the wall's centre was the same rune that Aladdin had acquired – Santak. The wall had sensed the man had possession of the rune so it dispelled and allowed Aladdin to climb down the ladder.

Aladdin was now in another cavern but this one was well-lit. The mysterious voice that called out to him earlier once again echoed in his mind. _"Aladdin..."_ it said.

The street rat thought it was another delusion, so he brushed it off and kept walking. He eventually came to the end of the cavern and found another statuette. Now he would have something else to place on one of the disks. The minute he picked up the statuette, Desiree zombies had now come to life and made their way over to Aladdin. He fought back with all his might but the zombies kept draining away his sanity.

All the zombies were now dead and Aladdin walked back down the cavern. Suddenly, for some reason he couldn't move his legs. He looked down and saw that he was sinking as the ground had now turned into quicksand. The street rat tried to struggle free but the quicksand was too viscous for him to move. All he could do was scream in terror as he sank below the surface.

A while later, Aladdin was back in the cavern safe and sound as he realised his torment was all due to his sanity.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted.

The man climbed up the ladder and back into the previous room. He placed the second statuette onto one of the red disks and then walked onto the third disk. The combined weight from the statuettes and Aladdin had pushed down the disks and activated the monolith in the centre. It raised itself up and brought up four Trappers. Remembering what happened to the boy Aerrow, Aladdin tiptoed his way to the monolith and made as little noise as possible. He pushed a switch next to the platform and descended into the floor.

Aladdin was now in a corridor that almost looked familiar to him. He thought it was strange that he would recognise this place as he had never been here before in his life.

_It must be one of the memories from the book's owners,_ he thought.

Walking forward, he found another dead guard lying on the floor with a tulwar in his back. Aladdin felt pity for the man since he figured it was a terrible way to die. This proved to be good for the street rat as he pulled out the sword and claimed it for himself. Now Aladdin had two tulwars to use for battle.

Aladdin was about to head into the next room but didn't notice the guard behind him had now risen from the dead. The man turned around as he thought he heard footsteps and his face was set into shock when he saw the guard looking at him. Aladdin did have pity for the dead guard, but it vanished when he used both tulwars to decapitate the guard and let blood fly out from its neck.

In the next room, Aladdin had found a scroll lying on the floor next to what appeared to be a dead grave robber. He picked it up and saw it was a spell. It was called Recover, but Aladdin could not use it until he had acquired the other necessary rune.

Aladdin had walked out of the room and into a hall where he was now facing off against a Horror, but this one was coloured blue and had three mouths with razor-sharp fangs. It was aligned with Tabuu, and it had a rune within its body shaped like a backwards lowercase H.

The Horror swiped at Aladdin, causing him not only bodily harm but also a drain in his magick strength. The street rat tried to remember how Aerrow had defeated one of these creatures, and then realised that since the other Horror had three eyes as its weakness then this Horror's weakness would be its mouths. With both tulwars at his side, Aladdin cut through the mouths and made the Horror scream in agony. It toppled to the ground and allowed Aladdin to end its life.

The rune in its body was called Narokath, which meant 'absorb', and Aladdin claimed it for himself. Now he had the necessary components to cast the Recover spell.

Aladdin walked out of the room and into the hallway where another magick wall was blocking a ladder. This one had the Narokath rune placed in it. The man touched the wall, letting it recognise that Aladdin had the rune and so it dispelled.

The man walked down another familiar corridor and into a room where four different coloured runes were on the walls. He didn't pay much attention to anything else because he noticed something sticking out of a stone block. It was a ram dao sword and it was much larger than a tulwar. He pulled it out of the stone block with little trouble, but then the exit out of the room was sealed shut. Yellow lights then appeared around the room, which summoned zombies. Aladdin used his new weapon to dispense of the creatures. The blade cut through the flesh like it was nothing, and blood was splattered all over the room's interior.

Aladdin fought wave after wave of zombies until one more finally revealed itself. It was a Desiree zombie, but this one seemed much larger than the others and it had a glowing green rune in its body that almost appeared Z-shaped and two lines forming a gap in the middle. The street rat slashed at the zombie's waist and let its upper body fall to the floor. He ended its existence by running it through with his blade, and now the Desiree rune belonged to him.

Every foe Aladdin faced had managed to drain away his sanity bit-by-bit. Using his new runes, he cast the Recover spell under Desiree's alignment. Each rune appeared green as he cast the spell and their names echoed throughout the room: _Narokath, Santak, Desiree_.

Aladdin then regained his composure as his mental capacity was now back to full strength. With his newly-charged confidence, he headed out of the room when he noticed the stone wall had moved.

The man walked back into the room where he found the Recover spell scroll. This room had something about it that he couldn't quite figure out, but he would find the answer. Scanning the area, his eyes came upon a door where it looked like a seal was blocking it from being opened and something slender could fit into a socket. The Desiree rune was also above the slot, meaning it had something to do with magick.

Thinking hard, Aladdin came up with the idea to use Enchant Item on his ram dao and place it into the slot. He cast the spell under Desiree's alignment and made his sword glow with green magickal energy. The sword was thrust into the slot, and the seal disappeared. Now Aladdin could continue his trek through the temple.

After making his way through more areas of the temple, Aladdin stopped in a room covered in mist. He could only see partially as a torch was lit in the centre. Standing next to the torch appeared to be something out of the ordinary. It was a ruby effigy of what looked to be a warrior kneeling. This object was highly valuable but Aladdin thought it was meant for a greater purpose. He took the effigy and slowly made his way to the next room without disturbing the nearby Trappers.

The street rat climbed over a pile of debris and another Tabuu Horror was blocking his path. His ram dao was still charged with magickal energy so he slashed at the creature's body. Immediately, the Horror was defeated because of the magick. Aladdin assumed there must be some correlation between these different enemies and the types of magick used.

Aladdin climbed down a ladder and was now in a room with the only exit closed off due to iron bars. In the middle was a small shrine where a hand rested with its fingers open. The man had remembered this was similar to how he obtained the Tome, so he placed the book within the hand's grasp. As soon as the hand felt the book, it started to glow with yellow light and the iron bars blocking the exit were now raised. Aladdin took the Tome back and rushed off to his next destination.

A small corridor lay before Aladdin, but much to his chagrin a green wall of magick had blocked each passage. Zombies were now being summoned, giving the street rat little room to move and fight. He had no doubt in his mind that he could defeat whatever enemy came before him since he had come this far. Waves of zombies from both Lavos's and Desiree's alignment were now coming after the man, but his sword skills were proven to be most effective.

Eventually, Bonethiefs started entering the fray and one jumped onto Aladdin's back and tried to dig its scythe-like arms into his body. Aladdin fought back and tossed the creature to the floor before impaling it with his sword. A shrill laugh escaped the Bonethief's mouth (if it had one) before it was vanquished.

Aladdin's final enemy was a Desiree Horror. The street rat knew how to defeat it and so he waited patiently for the beast to cross the magick wall. His opportunity was open and Aladdin slashed away at the creature's eyes, making it fall to the floor before Aladdin stabbed it in the torso.

With all the enemies dead, the magick walls disappeared and Aladdin was free to move on to what he had been searching for all this time. There floating above a pedestal was an object shaped like a distorted spearhead. It was the artifact Jasmine had been seeking, and now Aladdin was finally going to deliver it to the woman he loved.

Aladdin was about to touch the artifact as it glowed with a blue light when suddenly a female voice called out to him, a voice he thought very familiar.

"Aladdin," said the voice, "we will be together forever..."

The man immediately turned around, trying to figure out the origin of the voice.

"Jasmine?" he said.

At that moment, blue lights had appeared before Aladdin. They glowed brightly until they twisted to form Jasmine's spirit. Her mouth was covered with a veil as if hiding something.

Aladdin was left in shock and sorrow to see the woman he loved had passed on. "What... what happened to you?" he said bewilderedly.

"Things change, my dear Aladdin... but even though my body is ravaged, I await you," replied Jasmine.

"Who did this to you?"

"You were gone so long..." Jasmine turned away in shame as she revealed what she said next. "I... I gave myself to a nobleman with a jealous mistress. She had me dragged from my bed, and in cruel revenge, flensed with knives..." Jasmine then made her veil disappear to show her scarred face to Aladdin. She brought it back as she continued her reason for betraying Aladdin. "As the last blades were drawn across my body, and my blood cooled upon the floor, she cursed that I would only be with another in death..."

(A/N: For all you die-hard Disney fans out there, I apologise if I made Jasmine a little promiscuous.)

"So much for thinking only of me!" said Aladdin, somewhat angrily. "I should never have left." The man felt like someone had jabbed a knife into his back upon hearing this news.

"I have seen my folly and have already paid dearly," said Jasmine. "I see so much more now. In death, I know the true value of the artifact which I asked you to find, and it is not for us to possess.

"If we are to be together again, you must make a sacrifice. Only when that is complete will we be together."

"Sacrifice?" said Aladdin. He knew he would sacrifice himself for Jasmine, but after hearing what she had done he wasn't so sure anymore. At that moment he was filled with rage when he heard her request. "Why should I do anything for you? You lied to me! Betrayed me! And you really don't look so good anymore..."

"You must forget the past," explained Jasmine. "Despite who you are now, you will also become something more, just as I have. But the sacrifice must be made. We must remain here and guard the artifact! Dark things will come to claim it, and you must be strong to keep it from them. Without your sacrifice, the world will fall into eternal darkness!"

Aladdin thought about it and knew he wanted to be with Jasmine more than anything. If this sacrifice and becoming a guardian to the artifact meant so, then he would do it.

"The things I do for love..." he said.

Aladdin and Jasmine then shared a kiss, and the man screamed as he could feel his life coming to an end. The sacrifice had been made and now his spirit would remain in the temple until the rightful person would come to claim the artifact.

* * *

High above the stars, the planets were moving along their paths. It would nearly be time until they were in perfect alignment, and that is the moment when eternal darkness would shroud the Earth.

* * *

Ophelia was now finished reading the chapter. A feeling of praise had filled up inside her for seeing someone do incredible feats for someone he loved as well as for the sake of humanity.

The woman was back in the secret study since she felt this was the only place where she felt comfortable reading from the Tome. She noticed something on the wall and saw it to be a sword with the cross-guard shaped like the emblem on her T-shirt. She pulled it down from the wall and then went out to find the next chapter.

As she walked out into the front hall, she heard the phone ringing. Ophelia thought it strange to think someone would call her this late at night but she decided to answer it nonetheless. She picked up the receiver and placed it gently to her ear.

"Hello?" she said.

The voice on the other line belonged to her grandfather, Roku, who said, _"Remember me, Ophelia?"_

The other line hung up and Ophelia could only hear the dial tone. She was back in reality as she shouted, "This... isn't... really... happening!"

The woman ran into the kitchen and saw a seal over the pantry door that was similar to the one Aladdin used. This was another puzzle to test the knowledge of whoever read the Tome, so Ophelia cast the Enchant Item spell on her sword and shoved it into the slot. The seal then disappeared and allowed Ophelia to enter the pantry.

On one of the shelves was a spice jar with a slip of paper sticking out of the contents. She picked it up and opened the lid to find the next chapter of the Tome.

* * *

Elsewhere, Dark Ace stood before the giant mirror to speak with his master. The evil sorcerer cast the spell, letting the magick energy swirl around his body. Within seconds, Desiree appeared before Dark Ace and he delivered to her his progress.

Bowing in respect, Dark Ace said, "My liege, the future is yours. The Light in the Age of Darkness has been extinguished. The Pillar of Flesh has been constructed. The Master of Chaos – the 'Keeper of the Ancients' – is long dead. The planets will be in alignment soon. All is prepared for your arrival. I will begin the final incantation that will bring you into our world within days. The next millennium will truly usher in a new age! Your Guardians now prepare the gate!"

Desiree was most pleased to hear the news. Soon her time in the world of mortals would come and her reign would bring pain and despair to anyone who tried to resist.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Oh man! Now things are really starting to get interesting.

Aladdin: I still don't see why Jasmine and I had to die.

Jasmine: Don't worry. It only means that we'll always be together.

Aladdin: You're right. *kisses Jasmine*

BlueTiger321: Hey! This is supposed to be a horror story, so no mushy stuff! Anyway folks, I hope you all stay tuned for the next chapter. Until next time...

Aladdin and Jasmine: Read and review!


	6. Chapter 5: The Lurking Horror

Chapter 5: The Lurking Horror

BlueTiger321: Hi everyone! The latest chapter is now underway! Now here's some more trivia for you: the Roivas family is actually a pretty interesting name. If you look closely, you'll see that it's the word 'savior' spelled backwards. The developers definitely thought this one through, because it makes a lot of sense. Well, on with the next chapter!

* * *

Ophelia read her grandfather's notes on the next chapter. It read: _"I will not argue that I was shocked by the sudden mention of one of my ancestors – the distinguished Dr. Iroh Roivas! It chilled me to my bones! Where had this ancient book come from? How had my ancestor stumbled upon it? I feverishly began to read more, eager to learn his story. It seems that Iroh had inherited his father's mansion, just as I had. Alone since the death of his wife, and since his children had their own adult lives, he explored the house to discover his family roots..."_

Ophelia was more compelled to keep reading because she was about to learn more about her family history. Now she was reliving the events of one of her ancestors living in colonial Rhode Island in the year 1760 A.D. Dr. Iroh Roivas was a sixty-four-year-old man with yellow eyes and grey hair that went down the back and sides of his balding scalp, and a long, bushy beard that touched his chest. To display his wealthy status, he was clothed in a green robe with a long, yellow undershirt and brown shoes.

Iroh was sitting at his desk in the master bedroom writing in his journal with a quill pen. He wrote: _It has been two weeks since the death of my father, and it has finally come to me to look over the mansion. Now I am truly alone, and forced to start a new life, here in Rhode Island. I intend to make the mansion mine, and live in it as my forefathers have, to continue the family tradition. The mansion has its secrets, I'm sure, and in my time here, I have to make them mine._

Iroh placed the pen back in the ink pot and decided that now he would discover what hides within the darkest corners of his family's mansion. The only other people who resided in the mansion were his servants, and he was able to form a professional bond with them. But to Iroh, he had to keep his firebending arts a secret from them, lest they were to accuse their master of practicing witchcraft.

The doctor walked down the hallway to the door leading to the servants' quarters. A secure lock was placed on it and prevented Iroh from entering. He couldn't help but feel a disturbing presence coming from within, and there had to be some way of getting inside.

Walking out to the door leading to the main floor, Iroh came upon one of his servants, a woman named Madame Rouge (_Teen Titans_). Turning to her master, she spoke with a French accent, saying, "Good evening, Dr. Roivas. I trust you're doing well?"

"Yes, I am," replied Iroh. "Thank you for your concern." He couldn't help but feel something odd about the way she spoke.

Iroh turned his back and headed for the stairs. Oblivious to him was that Madame Rouge was secretly pulling something out from within her clothes. At the last second, Iroh turned around and quickly dodged when his servant had tried to lunge at him. He saw a dagger in her hand and a twisted smile on her face.

The doctor wasn't going to let this act of treason go unpunished. Before the woman tried to lunge at him again, he reached into his robe and pulled out a flintlock pistol. Madame Rouge held her dagger high and was about to make another attempt on her master's life when Iroh aimed his pistol and fired.

Madame Rouge fell to the floor dead after Iroh had shot her in the head. The man felt no remorse for this woman or for what he'd done since there was cause enough to justify his actions. Suddenly, something moved around from within Madame Rouge. Bursting out of the woman's body was a Bonethief covered in her blood. This creature frightened Iroh, and it chilled him even more so to think it was controlling one of his own servants. Thinking quickly, Iroh aimed his pistol and fired a shot at the Bonethief and destroyed it.

The doctor was now put on his guard for fear that more of these creatures might be in the mansion. If one had managed to take hold of a person so easily then there's no telling what more of them could do. He hurried off to find more and thought it had something to do with the mystery of his family's mansion.

Iroh ran into the kitchen, watching the night through the windows as it blanketed over Rhode Island. He walked over to the pantry and found a pump handle lying on top of a barrel. Confusion swept over him as he knew it belonged somewhere else in the house. The doctor took the handle with him in case he needed it.

Iroh was now in the dining room where he viewed a painting along with four blocks over the fireplace. The painting showed four different coloured runes all within circles with the red, green and blue runes around the yellow rune in the centre. Arrows were also pointing around the circle to each rune: the blue rune pointing to the red rune, green pointing to blue, and red pointing to green.

Looking closely, Iroh saw a passage inscribed at the bottom of the painting. It read: _When Darkness spreads its wings before my Master Desiree's greatest foe, the path to truth shall be opened._

Iroh's focus was now brought to the blocks sitting underneath the painting. Each of the four blocks had a rune in the centre that was identical to the runes in the painting. A small statue of a bird stood in front of the blocks that looked like it could be moved. The doctor moved the statue over the block containing the red rune, somehow thinking that was the key to solving the riddle.

Once Iroh was sure this was correct, the fire in the fireplace was mysteriously extinguished and the back had been opened. Now he was certain this would lead to one of the mansion's secrets.

The doctor crawled through the opening and was now in a secret study. The first thing he noticed was a scroll lying down next to the entrance over a pile of books. Iroh couldn't understand the strange symbols on it, but what he did know was that it was for casting some kind of spell. All he could make out was Reveal Invisible.

Hanging from the wall was a well-crafted sabre. Iroh didn't know whether it was for decoration or not, but it would become useful should his pistol be ineffective. The sabre was taken down and the man wandered around the room to find other useful objects. Another flintlock pistol was found, adding to his firepower, but what really had Iroh perplexed was a giant book lying on top of a desk that was bound in leather. He placed his hand over it and it felt more like human flesh. Iroh had now stumbled upon the Tome of Eternal Darkness.

In an instant, the memories and experiences of the Tome's previous owners had now become part of Iroh's mind.

A strange sensation filled Iroh. He was scared for a moment but now was sure this was one of the secrets kept within the mansion. A loud roar was heard through the opening, and Iroh knew something sinister had entered his house. Setting his face into determination, he would take care of this threat.

Walking out of the passage and out to the main hall, Iroh looked into the eyes of a Desiree Horror with a backwards N-shaped rune inside its body. The man could feel his sanity being flushed out of his mind from the creature's gaze, but all the memories he obtained from the Tome would give him the advantage. With a few quick swipes from his sabre, Iroh destroyed the Horror's eyes and made it fall to the floor. He then slashed down and kicked at the creature, ending its life.

Iroh had now claimed the rune called Redgormor, which means 'area.' Remembering the scroll, the doctor now had the necessary runes to cast the Reveal Invisible spell.

Iroh walked back up to the second floor. As he passed by some busts, he thought he saw them turning their heads like they were watching him. The man turned back and thought he was only seeing things as the busts were still in the same positions.

_This place must be getting to me_, he thought.

Brushing away that feeling, he walked down the hallway and stopped before a stained-glass window. Next to it on a stand was an envelope sealed with wax. Iroh didn't know what to make of this envelope but he could feel an evil sense about it. Taking the envelope, the stained-glass window shattered as a Desiree Bonethief revealed itself. The doctor wasn't going to have another of these beasts terrorise his servants, so he let his sabre take care of it.

The Bonethief was defeated, and Iroh watched as its body disappeared and left behind a blood stain on the carpet. At which point another roar was heard throughout the mansion. He rushed back down to the main hall to investigate.

There standing next to the eastern staircase was a different kind of Horror. This one was coloured red and it had three heads instead of eyes like the other one Iroh faced. A rune was in its body that glowed red and was shaped with a right-diagonal line over a short vertical line that was over a horizontal line with two lines going down each tip.

(A/N: Sorry about the crappy description of this rune.)

Iroh took care of this Horror like he did with the other rune, thinking it wasn't any different. Once the beast was killed, the rune now belonged to Iroh, and it was the rune symbolizing the Ancient of Matter, Trigon.

The next thing Iroh knew, he was back in the top floor of his mansion as if the previous battle never occurred. He checked the Tome and saw that he did have the Trigon rune. This didn't sit well with the poor man but he thought the best thing to do would be to continue with his search.

He was now at the spot where he thought he battled the Horror and saw a green triangle on the wall with the Desiree rune located in the middle. To Iroh, he thought this would be the perfect place to use the Reveal Invisible spell. From what he learned in the dining room, he should use the Trigon rune to overpower the Desiree rune.

The spell was cast and the runes appeared around Iroh in red light, calling out their names: _Narokath, Redgormor, Trigon._

Iroh could see the spell had worked as the green triangle on the wall had vanished and an invisible door was revealed. The door was locked and he tried to think of a way to enter. Just then, he could feel something poking out from within his robes. He felt around and pulled out the sealed envelope. Inside was a letter addressed to one of his father's assistants, but then something fell out of the letter and dropped to the floor. It was a key. Iroh thought it was strange why anyone would keep a key inside an envelope but he decided to try it on the lock. With a turn, the key opened the lock and allowed Iroh passage into the basement.

Iroh walked down into the basement, which was covered in grey bricks and housed many crates and packages. When the man walked down the steps, he was met with two Desiree zombies. Rage soon took over him as he would not allow these abominations to infest his house any longer.

Dispatching with the zombies and filling the basement with the scent of blood, Iroh then walked over to the well. Sitting on its ledge was another scroll describing another spell called Damage Field.

With nowhere else to go, Iroh thought of going down the well but it was filled with water. At his age he couldn't dive down very far without coming up for air. That's when he remembered he grabbed the pump handle from the kitchen. Next to the well was the pump with the handle missing. The doctor attached the handle and brought up all the water from the well.

A ladder was revealed on the side of the well, allowing Iroh to climb down safely. The next thing he knew, Iroh was in a dark room that didn't offer him much space. He tried to find a way out but the darkness was so terrifying. A small light shone through one of the walls, and Iroh could see he was locked inside a cell for the rest of his life.

Before he could figure it out, Iroh was back in the basement. It was all a trick of his mind from battling the creatures and losing his sanity.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted. He couldn't help but feel a foreboding sense from witnessing that event.

Climbing down the ladder again, the doctor was now in a different place. A stone staircase spiralled down into a dark abyss, but he couldn't take in the sights for a zombie attacked him. This foe was no different from any other he'd faced so far and he took it down with ease. A rune fell out of the zombie's body and rushed to Iroh. It was the shape of a circle over a small vertical line with a horizontal line underneath it. The rune was called Bankarok, which meant 'protect', and it was the second rune needed to cast Damage Field.

Iroh was now free to walk down the steps since there were no other enemies in his vicinity. Partway down the steps, he walked out onto a balcony and saw a glorious display of stone spires surrounding a white light as though it were an underground city. He marvelled at the sight, thinking this must be another secret of his family's mansion.

Walking farther down the steps, Iroh stopped when he saw a magick wall blocking his path. The Bankarok rune was shown inside the wall and it soon dissipated when it recognised the doctor having possession of it.

Iroh had walked into a large hall, hoping to find out what this mysterious city was meant for, all the while not realising something had materialised itself behind him. It was a horrid, green-skinned creature having six legs and two mouths. It was known as one of Desiree's Lesser Guardians.

The vile creature had cast a seven-point spell while Iroh kept looking forward. The runes cried out: _Bankarok, Pargon, Redgormor, Pargon, Pargon, Desiree, Pargon._

This had created a Damage Field spell, preventing Iroh from escaping. The Lesser Guardian then formed into a ball of green light and swerved in front of Iroh. The man halted in his tracks and set his eyes into shock to see the creature take form.

Iroh could feel this creature was stronger than the ones he faced, so he cast the Enchant Item spell on his flintlock pistols under Trigon's alignment for extra precaution. Each shot from the firearms felt like fire burning the Lesser Guardian's flesh, so it teleported around the area and tried using an array of spells against the mortal.

When the Lesser Guardian was dead, Iroh stared at its vanishing corpse and now understood the purpose of this dark secret. His family's mansion was sitting atop a place of evil, which must never be allowed to surface.

Iroh was now speaking his thoughts as though he was writing in his journal. He thought: _The accursed beast was dead, but not without its toll on me. That was but one, and there was an entire city of them... I could not hope to fight them all alone – I knew I had to get help!_

Iroh walked out of the city, determined to prove to everyone in Rhode Island about the ancient city that lies beneath his mansion and to warn them of the horrors it holds. He was back in the secret study where he continued his soliloquy. _I knew there was a way – I just had to find it.

* * *

_

Three months had passed since Iroh discovered the underground city. He tried to warn every person of the coming evil, but his actions and his cries for help had only made everyone think he became a lunatic. This in turn had made Iroh become committed to an insane asylum.

The poor man stood alone in his dark and dank cell, his arms bound in a straitjacket and his hair soiled and matted against his head. He banged his head against the wall in frustration as flies buzzed around the sewer grate.

"I tried..." he muttered. "I tried to tell them, but... they wouldn't listen to me..." He turned around and shouted, "Damn them! Damn their eyes!" He continued his rant in a low tone. "They didn't believe me. Strange creatures... the world in peril from unseen foes... The death! The Darkness...!"

Iroh leaned against the wall and slouched down until he sat on the cold floor. "Instead they jeered and threw me into this forsaken place," he said, "a place of empty souls and fevered thoughts, reeking of foetor and decay, thinking me mad with delirium! The fools cast away their hopes of salvation, by locking me in this damned asylum!"

The once distinguished Dr. Iroh Roivas then ran to the door of his cell to curse the ones who had forsaken him. Looking through the bars, he shouted, "May the rats eat your eyes! I am now lost to your cause! The Darkness comes! It will damn us all!"

Iroh's cry only fell on deaf ears as it was believed to be another spout of lunacy. All he could do was remain in the cell for the rest of his days until the sweet embrace of death would claim him.

* * *

Ophelia was appalled at the end of the chapter. Seeing how one of her own ancestors had met such a tragic end made her wish her family had never come in contact with the Ancients. But there was no avoiding the facts – she had now inherited Iroh's cause.

After learning the Reveal Invisible spell, she thought it could be useful in finding another secret hidden within the mansion. She walked up to her bedroom since she had the feeling that would be the first place to start. When the spell was cast, Ophelia saw something appear on the dresser. There was a golden plate with a keyhole surrounded by a triangle. Remembering that she picked up a golden key behind the carriage clock, she was able to open the dresser.

There sitting in the drawer was a revolver along with the next chapter of the Tome. Ophelia knew there was no turning back once she started reading, but she was willing to do it for the sake of her family and for humanity.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well, all I can say is tough luck for Iroh.

Iroh: Why is it that I get locked up in a loony bin? I'm not crazy! Don't you believe me?

BlueTiger321: O_o Um, sure Iroh... whatever you say. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter. I hope by now you're all feeling scared stiff. Until next time...

Iroh: *eyes twitching* Read and review!


	7. Chapter 6: A Journey into Darkness

Chapter 6: A Journey into Darkness

BlueTiger321: Hello everyone, and welcome back to BlueTiger's Eternal Darkness. Now we're coming to a turning point in the story. I hope it will give you many thrills and excitement. So, enjoy!

* * *

A few years back, Dark Ace reported to his master about a turn of events. What he was going to deliver to the Ancient could work in their favour, and he would see to it that it would be secured. The liche cast the spell before the enormous mirror, and green magickal energy danced all around him. Desiree was now in full view for Dark Ace and so he spoke.

"Your Guardians have located the heart of Lavos," he said.

"Yes, located within his grave," Desiree said in her normal tone. "As we suspected," she said, changing her personality.

"It shall be retrieved at once," said Dark Ace.

"Be wary," warned Desiree. "The power of Lavos lingers still – corroding the universe around its tomb. It will doubtlessly be guarded after these seven centuries." Her insane personality took hold of her body. "The beast has not been contained."

"I can assure you that my binding of Lavos, fuelled by your very own power, will be enough." Dark Ace wanted his master to rest knowing that his deed was done, but he couldn't help but notice that she didn't have faith in him.

"It is not your sorcery that we doubt, Dark Ace, but the power of the Dead God," said Desiree in her normal visage. "How can you, a mere mortal, comprehend what that entity represents, or what power it can wield?" Once again, her personality changed. "We will not..." she said before changing, "...and we know more than thou..."

"Your future depends on me, majesty," said Dark Ace. "Without me to open the gates-"

"Yes... yes..." Desiree interrupted, "Be quick..." Her insane form took over, saying, "...lest our power and our faith in you, wanes into oblivion... it will never happen... I have seen differently..."

Desiree left her servant, and Dark Ace pondered exactly how he would contain Lavos's heart. This would require cunning tactics if he were to succeed.

* * *

Roku's research notes were written clearly on the next chapter, and Ophelia began to feverishly read them. It read: _"The Ancient's influence was incredible. From all walks of life, to all parts of the world, their tendrils crept and wrought their insidious damage. Their prisons decayed constantly as their Guardian's work continued. _

"_I discovered mention of a breakthrough in satellite RADAR imaging that revealed the presence of a hitherto unknown temple mound in the Angkor Thom Region of Cambodia. An archaeologist of some repute, Dr. Holland Novak, took it upon himself to investigate the area, to reveal the secrets of history. Unfortunately, the local government at the time thought differently, requiring that Novak find other means into the country and to finance his expedition. He found these in Drake Acer, a collector of rare items who professed an interest in the discovery and agreed to help. After a dysentery-riddled two-week venture, Novak and Acer located the remains of an ancient City Temple, dating back to the 12th Century..."_

Ophelia viewed the remains of a temple in Cambodia through the eyes of Dr. Holland Novak in the year 1983 A.D. The twenty-nine-year-old archaeologist was tall with light brown hair, dark brown eyes and a short goatee. Although befitting of his age and not his status, he wore a black-and-white jacket with red trim, a yellow scarf, a brown belt with a silver buckle, cargo pants, and blue-and-white boots.

Holland was accompanied by a much older man dressed in a black trench coat with black gloves, a black hat and a pair of glasses over his eyes. This man went by the name of Drake Ace, and he was the benefactor who funded Holland's expedition.

Both men had entered the temple, eager to find what lay inside. After a long journey they had at last found it, and now there was nothing that could stop them.

"Yes, this is it! It has to be!" exclaimed Holland.

He and Acer looked at the temple's first room and saw four pillars in the centre with a torch standing next to each one.

"I hadn't expected the information to pan out, but here it is..." said Holland. "The satellite data was correct!"

Acer looked around then said, "For years, I have searched for it without success. Here, all along, clouded from us beneath the Great Ancient's insidious magick! I am very pleased with your performance, Dr. Novak... Very pleased..."

Holland didn't pay attention to Acer's speech; he was more focused on studying the architecture of the temple. He walked over to the stone pillars in the middle as Acer continued.

"In fact, so pleased," said Acer, "that I will give you an early bonus." The old man then held out an automatic pistol and aimed it at Holland.

The archaeologist was no fool as he heard the clicking sound of the gun's safety being disengaged. His eyes narrowed and his skin tightened as he thought the worst was going to happen. Thinking fast, he turned around and gave a quick jab at Acer, knocking him to the floor. Acer recovered from the assault and fired off a shot but missed as Holland was able to take cover behind the nearest pillar. The archaeologist was smart to bring weapons for his protection so he pulled out his own automatic pistol and fired. The bullet hit Acer in the chest, sending blood flying out from the wound but he remained upright as if unfazed by the attack. This left Holland shocked to find his backstabbing partner still alive.

"...My God!" Holland shouted in disbelief.

The man rushed off to the next pillar, and Acer fired three more shots. Each bullet missed, making Holland sigh in relief for avoiding injury.

"You are a scholar, Dr. Novak – not a warrior," said Acer. "In that regard I have several centuries more experience than you!" He walked into the centre of the room, hoping to get Holland out of hiding. "Don't be a fool – die quietly, and you will not suffer."

Holland turned around and fired another shot and missed before hiding behind the pillar again. He was going to show this old man that he won't go down without a fight.

Just then, Acer's body began to course with yellow magickal energy until he revealed himself to be Dark Ace. "You cannot escape me, Novak!" he said. "This place will be your tomb, just as it is Lavos's!"

At that moment, a section of the wall started opening and a creature being covered by its large wings walked into the chamber. It opened up its wings to show its skull-like head, its long tail and its green skin. This creature was known as a Gatekeeper.

"Guardians of Desiree – kill him!" cried Dark Ace.

Holland looked on in horror at the vile creature, and now he was left to fend for himself in the temple since Dark Ace had disappeared. He was always one to trust in scientific facts, and seeing this latest turn of events contradicted his beliefs. But now was not the time to meander over little details; first he would have to get out of this mess.

The man pulled out his shotgun and readied just as the chamber started filling up with a strange, green mist. The Gatekeeper was getting closer, finally opening up its wings as Holland ran off to the side and toward the creature's back. When in range, he fired a shell and made blood splatter out of the Gatekeeper. Holland tried the same tactic again until he made the creature submit. One more shot from his weapon and the beast was dead, making the green mist disappear.

Holland was going to make sure Acer would pay for trying to kill him, but right now he was more interested in exploring the temple. Looking down for any clues, he spotted a stone tablet that had been covered by years of dust. He then took out his brush and wiped it carefully to preserve the tablet's structure. What he saw on the tablet were four different-coloured runes: the red, green and blue runes were around the yellow rune to form a triangle. There was something else on the tablet and so Holland knelt down to examine it. The object was a bronze bracelet, and Holland marvelled at how it was crafted. This would be his first discovery in the temple, so he made sure to document it.

The man walked over to a nearby statue of a goddess and noticed something was missing around one of its arms. He took out the bracelet and placed it in the right spot. The wall from where the Gatekeeper emerged was now open, giving Holland the freedom to continue deeper into the temple. Thinking he would have to conserve his ammunition, he took out his kukri and walked through the passage.

The instant that Holland entered the passage did the whole world around him begin to warp. The archaeologist was now in a hallway where he could hear the screams of people filling his ears. Walking down the hall, he spotted a statue of a Persian man where the name _Aladdin_ was inscribed at the bottom. Walking farther, there was a statue of a colonial man with the name _I. Roivas_ carved into the stone. At the end was a large hand that opened up to show Holland a large book bound in human flesh. Holland couldn't explain what was going on, but he decided to go with his instincts and take the Tome of Eternal Darkness. Now his mind was bombarded with the memories of the Tome's previous owners and their experiences, giving the young man the gift of magick.

Holland was brought back to the temple. What he just witnessed truly went against his beliefs, but now he understood the purpose of this temple. He walked through the passage, keeping his guard at the ready.

The man battled foes while making his way through the temple, feeling like his mind was taking damage from looking into the creature's eyes. Eventually, he walked into a long hallway covered in mist. Without warning, he accidentally stepped onto a switch and activated one of the temple's traps. Holland was prepared for something like this, so with a smirk he timed the swinging blades and jumped out in time so he wouldn't suffer a hit.

After avoiding the trap, Holland looked to his right and saw another object lying on top of a pedestal. It was another bracelet but this one was made of metal. Taking the bracelet, he continued onward.

Holland had now come upon another room, and he was left stunned when he saw a Desiree Horror standing underneath three green runes. Remembering what he learned from the book, Holland recognised the spell as Damage Field so he would have to be careful not to step into it. The young man didn't want to fight this creature but his eyes happened upon a bronze necklace lying near the entrance. Hoping the creature wouldn't be aware of his presence; he snatched the necklace and rushed out of the chamber.

The archaeologist was back at the entrance and so he walked back to the goddess statue, remembering the bracelets around its arms were also made of bronze. He took out the necklace and placed it around the stone head. A passageway to the right was now open and Holland took the chance to go forward.

The next room had a statue of a naga that looked to be guarding something on a raised platform. Holland looked to see it was a bracelet made of silver. He took it, and then turned around when he heard something move. Both exits to the room were now blocked.

_It must have something to do with the bracelet_, thought Holland.

Then he remembered he picked up another bracelet earlier. Knowing the metal bracelet was of no value – and hoping the statue wouldn't recognise the difference – he placed it on the platform and watched as the exits were now open.

After walking through more passageways, Holland finally ended up in a room where three Desiree zombies awaited him along with a zombie with a rune in its chest. The young man quickly took out his shotgun and blew away each zombie's head, letting blood cling to the walls. His sanity was taking its toll on the battle so he would have to end it fast.

Once all the zombies were dead, Holland now had possession of a rune that looked like a distorted Pi symbol. It was called Nekleth, and it meant 'dispel.'

The man re-loaded his shotgun with more shells but it accidentally backfired on him and fired into his stomach. Holland cried out and held his stomach in pain as he could feel blood oozing out, and so he fell down as his life slowly crept out of him.

The next thing he knew, Holland was standing up with no wound in his stomach. His mind was playing tricks on him after the battle with the zombies.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted.

Holland didn't want anything like that to happen again so he made sure to safely re-load his weapon before walking out of the room.

Deeper into the temple he walked, passing by more traps. Then something caught his eye: an assortment of spider webs. Taking his brush, he dusted away the webs and stared at a scroll on the ground. He viewed what was on the paper and saw it was a spell called Dispel Magick. The man had the necessary runes for casting this spell and he would make use of it, but the whole concept of magick still baffled him.

Holland returned to the room where he avoided the Horror. This time he would be prepared for fighting this monster now that he obtained a new spell. He cast Dispel Magick under Trigon's alignment and let the runes around him glow in red light: _Nekleth, Redgormor, Trigon._

The runes then rose into the air and slammed down on the ground, creating a red shockwave that destroyed the spell protecting the Horror. Holland slashed away at the Horror's eyes, remembering how all the others who owned the book had battled with them. The Horror slumped to the floor and Holland plunged his kukri into the beast's body.

The archaeologist now saw the creature was guarding a lit candle with a silver necklace around it. He thought himself lucky for finding another treasure inside the temple's confines so he took it without hesitation.

After walking back into the hallway from where he came, Holland eyed another goddess statue, but this one had accessories made of silver adorning it. He gathered up all the silver jewellery he found and placed them around the goddess' arm and neck. A passage opened up on the opposite side from where Holland was standing and he headed towards it, wanting to find new surprises for his journey.

Holland was now in a dark chamber where he could hardly even see what was in front of him. Trusting his sense of hearing, he was aware of a zombie coming closer to him. His sanity started to wane as the zombie gazed upon him, but he cut down his foe and plunged his weapon into its body. A rune within the zombie was now for Holland to own. It was almost S-shaped with a horizontal line going through the middle, and having a vertical line on the left side and two vertical lines on the right side. This rune was called Aretak and it meant 'creature.'

As Holland descended deeper into the chamber, he could see the floor being covered with the same green mist as when he faced off against the Gatekeeper at the temple's entrance. He hoped he wouldn't have to fight another one of them but his luck soon took a turn for the worse when one appeared in front of him. The man aimed his shotgun to shoot the creature's head as it opened up its wings. The attack stunned the Gatekeeper and allowed Holland to finish it off once and for all. The creature was dead and the green mist disappeared, giving Holland the satisfaction of knowing there weren't more in the area.

He walked through and saw a magick wall blocking his exit. The Aretak rune was in the middle and it sensed the archaeologist did have control over it. Now Holland was free to keep moving when the wall dispelled.

A new chamber was presented to the man and he dealt with a Tabuu Horror swiftly, blood staining his jacket. Then he noticed something odd about this room. There was the Trigon rune spinning around over a pedestal and it was being protected by the Damage Field spell. Somehow he got the feeling this temple was trying to tell him something. He cast the Dispel Magick spell under Tabuu's alignment and made both the rune and the spell guarding it vanish. Holland got the idea that other chambers must have the same concept with the other runes involved so he hurried off to find them.

Before he left, however, he noticed another pile of cobwebs sitting in the corner. Not wanting to pass up on a potential discovery, he got out his brush and disposed of the cobwebs. On the ground was a necklace covered in dirt. This one might not be different from the others but Holland took it with him because he thought it might be useful.

Holland headed down the next hallway and suddenly felt a pain in his neck. His eyes were set into shock as he felt his own head falling off his shoulders. His own body then picked up his head and held it up in such a delicate manner.

"Alas, poor Holland! I knew him, Horatio!" said Holland's disembodied head.

Holland snapped back into reality with his head still on his neck where it was supposed to be.

"This... can't... be... happening!" he shouted.

(A/N: That sanity effect is my favourite!)

Holland ran into the next chamber, and his suspicions proved true as he saw the Desiree rune being protected by the Damage Field spell along with a Trigon zombie in the room. Hacking away at the zombie's strong physique, he managed to kill it and cast Dispel Magick under Trigon's alignment. Both the rune and the spell vanished before his eyes, and Holland rushed off while hoping to find the final puzzle.

The next chamber did have the Tabuu rune that was protected by magick as well as a Desiree zombie. By now Holland had practice dealing with these foes so it was no contest for him. He killed the zombie and cast Dispel Magick under Desiree's alignment, making the rune and the spell disappear.

* * *

In another part of the temple, a yellow wall made of magick guarded a section. In front of it were the runes of the Ancients. One by one, each of them vanished until the wall no longer had the power to stay in form until a wall with a stone mural was revealed.

* * *

Holland assumed that something in the temple re-acted when he made the runes disappear. Before he left, he noticed a large basin sitting underneath a statue. Now he could carefully wash the bracelet and determine its value. He placed the bracelet in the basin and thought of how it could be washed. Then he saw a button placed next to it. Shrugging, Holland pressed it and watched as water poured out of the statue's mouth. A putrid odour emerged his nostrils as he guessed the water must have acid mixed in with it. The water was drained and Holland could see the necklace sparkle with gold. He walked out of the chamber happily with his prize.

The archaeologist had entered a chamber where a statue of a guard was in the centre and a statue of another goddess was at the back. As soon as he entered the room, the guard statue turned around as though he spotted an intruder – Holland. The man couldn't help but stare with fright, thinking the guard's eyes were real and they looked at him with malicious intent.

Holland's eyes then chanced upon the goddess statue, and he saw one of its arms lift up to reveal a golden bracelet. He thought this must be some kind of test, so he rushed out of the guard's line of sight but it soon turned around to try and catch him. Holland snatched the bracelet and ran out of the room, not wanting to find out what the statue would do if it caught him.

The man was now in the hall where he spotted a goddess statue with no accessories on its body, but he had to rush over there as quickly as possible when poison gas started to enter. Holland held his breath while trying not to breathe in the gas or else he knew his lungs would feel like they were burning on the inside. Taking out the golden necklace and bracelet, he placed them on the statue and ran into the new opening he created.

Holland took in a deep breath and was glad to see there was no gas in this chamber and so he continued forward. After walking aimlessly through more hallways, he came upon a room where there was another zombie with a rune in its body. A sly grin crossed Holland's face as he thought he would have more power to defeat these creatures. He sliced off its head and severed its limbs, letting blood fly everywhere. The dead zombie then gave up the rune, which was shaped like a backwards capital F slanted down to the left. It was called Tier and meant 'summon.'

Holland was glad he collected the Tier rune because he was faced with another magick wall blocking the exit. The wall soon dissipated upon recognising the rune the man had, and so he walked to his next destination.

The archaeologist was getting tired of all the enemies creeping up on him, but he knew it would all be worth it for discovering the temple's secret. He disposed of all the zombies and saw in the middle of the chamber a giant stone structure that had fire blazing inside it. What really got his attention was another scroll lying on the floor next to it. Holland picked it up, eager to learn a new spell and saw it was called Summon Trapper. Studying it, Holland knew he had the necessary runes for casting it whenever he pleased.

Holland searched his memories and saw what the Trapper was meant to do. Somewhere in this temple there would be a place where it would be useful and it would follow his every command. He backtracked through each hallway, desperately trying to find the spot.

He found a wall with a stone mural and a small hole underneath it. Holland praised himself for being so clever. He cast the Summon Trapper spell: _Tier, Aretak, Trigon._

Red magickal energy swirled around until a Trigon Trapper had taken form. Holland wasn't scared since he knew he was the one controlling the creature. He pointed his hand to his left and the Trapper followed its summoner.

The Trapper walked into a secret chamber where there was a wide gap that looked like it would lead to certain death. Luckily, a log bridge was located there and allowed the creature to cross. It walked until it stopped over a circular tile in the floor with a yellow rune in the centre shaped like a capital T with many lines all over it.

(A/N: I'm sorry, but I cannot describe this rune at all. Please go to the Eternal Darkness Wiki to find the Mantorok rune. Also, I'm saying it's yellow in this story to match Lavos's colour, but in the game the rune is purple.)

The Trapper's weight was enough to push in the tile and caused a section of the wall where Holland was standing to open. Behind that wall was the same rune on the tile.

Holland released his control over the Trapper and he was free to move after putting so much concentration in the spell. He walked over to the rune and picked it up; giving the archaeologist the ability to cast spells under Lavos's alignment.

The moment he gained control of the rune did a Desiree Horror break through the stone mural. It frightened Holland a bit at first but he wasn't going to let this beast get the best of him. Three blasts came from his shotgun and he destroyed the Horror in no time.

The broken wall allowed Holland to enter into a deeper part of the temple. He looked around and saw he was now in a chamber where Lavos was contained. The Corpse God breathed slowly as the last of its life was fading away after the binding spell had been wearing it down for so many years. Holland was truly astounded by Lavos, and thought it unbelievable that a creature like this even existed.

The man whirled himself around when he heard another voice.

"The power of Lavos is not easily controlled," it said.

Holland's face was set into anger when he finally caught up with Dark Ace. His mind started thinking of ways to get payback for using him.

"What makes you think I want to control it?" exclaimed Holland.

Dark Ace merely laughed at Holland's remark. "Arrogant man..." he said. Pointing out his staff, he shouted, "Kill him! Make sure you succeed this time!"

Two Gatekeepers took form next to Dark Ace's side, and they were given their task. Holland thought he would have to deal with the two creatures, but unknown to him the eyes on the statue behind him started to glow yellow. In an instant, a yellow wave of energy spread out from the statue and destroyed the Gatekeepers and knocked away Dark Ace. Holland stood his ground as the magick left him unharmed.

The evil sorcerer yelled as he was thrown across the room. He stood up after the assault and knew that some of Lavos's power still lingered in this chamber. The attack had left him weak as the magick coursed around his body, and he knew he could not withstand another attack like that.

"The Darkness... shall prevail," said Dark Ace. His body then glowed with green light, making him teleport out of the temple.

Holland was glad Dark Ace was gone, but now there was still one thing left on his mind: what would he do now that he was this far? Just then, the statue once again emitted a yellow glow. Balls of light then made their way over to the back of the chamber where they touched a stone slab and disintegrated it. Holland couldn't quite understand it, but it was as though this creature – whether it was still alive or not – was showing him the way.

The man carefully made his way into the room. His gaze then turned to something on the goddess statue. There was the body of what appeared to be a young girl in tattered clothes. Her skin was rotted, which led Holland to believe she was trapped in here and probably died of starvation. He felt pity for this girl, and yet he couldn't help but wonder what had preserved her body for so long.

The archaeologist leaned in to get a closer look, and just then the voice of a girl named June started to speak, making Holland open his eyes in shock. Her body didn't move, yet she was still able to communicate with him.

"Do not touch the heart, flesh and bone, lest you become like me," said June. "A dead, rotted husk..."

June's eyes started to glow as she continued speaking. "I have waited many centuries for you," she said. "It was not easy hiding from the dark ones as they searched for me. At first they passed by not thinking that the heart was inside my dead body, but I was forced to take refuge here. You must seal the heart so it never contacts your flesh, and take it to the Gathering of Light."

An image then flashed in Holland's mind. It looked to be a fabulous mansion in Rhode Island and then it faded away, giving the man the idea of where he was supposed to go.

"Take the heart there," explained June, "or the world shall fall under a reign of Eternal Darkness!"

Holland now understood the importance of this task, so he willingly accepted it. After all his research into this temple, he was glad to be walking out with a sense of pride.

June's body then started to move. She said, "The veil of reality can only be pulled back so far, mortal. Take your stand, and fight the Darkness!"

In that instant, June's body started to emit a yellow light as something emerged within her. With the object no longer hers to guard, her body vanished into obscurity and June was finally allowed to rest in peace.

Holland stared at the still-beating heart of Lavos. He would not let the girl down or let what he experienced happen to people all around the world.

* * *

Dr. Holland Novak had flown out of Cambodia and was now standing within the library of the Roivas Family Estate. In his hands he held a glass case with the Essence of Lavos contained within it. His task was now complete as he handed it over to the one person who could be trusted with it – Dr. Roku Roivas.

Holland nodded to Roku and took his leave. The middle-aged psychologist knew of the perfect place to hide something like this. Walking over to a bookshelf, he placed the glass case behind a book entitled _The Demon of Khmer_ and sealed it. Now Roku was given the burden of ensuring no dark presence would ever take control of the heart.

* * *

High in outer space, Saturn was moving along its course. The time for the planet's alignment was getting closer, and soon the dark reign would begin.

* * *

The chapter was finished and Ophelia now knew where to find the heart. She rushed out of the study and headed for the bookshelf where her grandfather had hidden it. Scanning each book, her eyes had found the right one: _The Demon of Khmer_ by Dr. Holland Novak.

She pushed the book aside and found the glass case that contained the Essence of Lavos. With the object now in her possession, she walked out of the library to find the next hidden chapter.

Ophelia was back on the second floor to try and find another clue when she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were set in shock when she spotted the spirit of her ancestor, Dr. Iroh Roivas. Watching carefully, she saw Iroh look at her before he walked into the wall.

The woman then noticed a stained-glass window of a maiden at the end of the hall. She thought it was strange since she couldn't remember when there was a window in that part of the house. Then she knew it was another trick. Reading the last chapter had taught her how to use the Dispel Magick spell. The window was green so she set the spell under Trigon's alignment.

A red wave rushed out and made the window vanish along with the Desiree rune in front of it. Ophelia walked forward and saw a page floating in mid-air where the maiden was standing. Taking it down, she read it to find out the next plot of Dark Ace and Desiree.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well folks, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Holland: I did, because I didn't die!

June: Oh sure, rub it in!

Aerrow: Hey, that's not fair!

Aladdin: Yeah, how come he never fell to the Darkness?

Iroh: Let's get him!

Holland: Uh oh! *runs away*

Everyone else: Get back here! *run after Holland*

BlueTiger321: O_O Uh, yeah. Anyway, stay tuned for the next thrilling chapter. So until next time, read and review!


	8. Chapter 7: Heresy

Chapter 7: Heresy

BlueTiger321: All right, so now the next person who will try to stop the eternal darkness shows up in this chapter. I hope at this point you're all terrified, because that's what I'm going for! =P Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Dark Ace stood in the basement of Oublié Cathedral centuries ago, ready to carry out his next mission. The room was large with a stained-glass window stationed at the back, stone murals of saints lining the walls, and black and white tiles covering the floor. Two monks dressed in black robes stayed off to the side to witness what their master was about to perform.

The liche cast a nine-point spell and his left hand glowed green: _Tier, Pargon, Pargon, Aretak, Pargon, Pargon, Desiree, Pargon, Pargon._

The runes took form on the floor, and Dark Ace slammed the butt of his staff. A large wave of magick soon engulfed the room and then focused on the open spot from where it originated. Light rose up and then twisted into a large figure. Everyone in the room now witnessed a giant, slender beast with green skin and four arms levitating a few feet above the floor. Where its head should be was the Desiree rune glowing in green light. It was known as Desiree's Black Guardian.

The beast let out a wicked laughter throughout everyone's minds since its power came from Desiree. The two monks present backed away for fear of becoming the Guardian's first victims.

Dark Ace was now going to show the beast who gives the orders. "I am not your food today!" he shouted. "I am your master! Your task is to guard the artifact before you. Let no one touch it!"

Behind the stained-glass window was where the red artifact shaped like a twisted claw was placed. Dark Ace knew what the artifact was capable of doing, and he summoned the Black Guardian to ensure it will never be used.

* * *

Ophelia read her grandfather's notes on the next chapter. It read: _"In Europe, during the time of the Inquisition, paranoia and corruption ran deep. With the fear of devilry running rampant, the Ancients' corruption extended far beyond mortal knowledge, corrupting all that could be corrupted. My researches uncovered an interesting incident: A Xiaolin monk named Master Fung was traveling through the regions of Amiens during the witch hunts of the Inquisition. Now under martial law, the Inquisition prevented anyone from leaving the town and its nearby Cathedral, for everyone was suspect..."_

Master Fung walked into Oublié Cathedral in the year 1485 A.D. The Spanish Inquisition was in full force in Europe, but he was granted a temporary reprieve and was allowed to enter the continent. The old monk was bald with a grey moustache and was clothed in a blue vest over a white long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and black shoes. A golden necklace hung gracefully around his neck and shone magnificently in the light.

Night time had already reached Amiens when Master Fung arrived, and lightning could be heard outside the cathedral. The monk swept off raindrops from his clothes after closing the doors. Exhausted after his long journey, he was glad he would get the chance to get a glimpse of the cathedral's most sacred relic.

The man turned to his right when he heard someone address him. It was Bishop Aceris dressed in a dark red robe. Master Fung could only see his red eyes and partially-covered face under the hood, but he knew there was nothing sinister about this holy place or anyone who resided here.

"Welcome to Oublié Cathedral, Master Fung," said the Bishop. "I'm glad that our sacred order can bestow hospitality on someone from a neighbouring sect."

"I shall not impose, Excellency," said Master Fung. "I merely request lodging and a viewing of the sacred relic, the Hand of Jude."

"Many have traveled far and even risked their lives for a glimpse of the hallowed relic's true splendour." The Bishop walked over to Fung's back, making the monk feel nervous. "Of course, it would be wise to keep quiet during your stay. The Inquisition is here for a reason, Master Fung. We seek to purge the deviancy from this town."

"I am sure that will not be a problem," Master Fung said confidently. "Amiens appears to be a peaceful hamlet."

The Bishop was about to walk away when he stopped and said, "It appears to be, but deviancy is secreted in the most deceptive places, which I believe is the case with Amiens."

"Then I wish you luck with your search," said Fung.

The Bishop turned around and started to speak abruptly and almost surprised the Xiaolin monk. "The Inquisition does not need luck, Master Fung," he said. "Faith and purity are our guides."

Master Fung watched as the Bishop took his leave, and now he was free to wander the cathedral. He entered the main hall, hearing his own footsteps ruffle against the red carpet. After many years, the cathedral had undergone many reconstructions since being built. The new hall was much bigger with more benches sitting neatly in rows before the altar. The only things that haven't changed were the stained-glass windows in the back.

Fung walked down the aisle while taking in the cathedral's view when he turned to his left to see something on a bench. There was one of the Franciscan monks named Mario (_Super Mario Bros._) lying motionless.

"For the love of God!" cried Master Fung. "Guards! Help! Come quickly!"

The Bishop and two guards dressed in black robes walked forth, hearing the cry. If something occurred in the cathedral then the Bishop would be the first one to know. Master Fung pointed to the reason for his shouting.

"A murder!" said the Bishop. "A murder most foul! What heresy is this?"

"I... I found him lying here... dead," Master Fung explained before lightning struck outside. "I called the guards."

"Ah, is this our first suspect?" said the Bishop. He faced the guards to give them his order. "Make sure no one touches the body. It must be examined for signs of devilry." The Bishop then turned to Master Fung with a sneer on his face. "As for this... 'man,' make sure he doesn't leave the cathedral. We will question him later."

Master Fung was shocked to hear this. He was welcome inside the cathedral but now he was being taken prisoner for a crime he didn't commit. He said, "But-"

"Hold your tongue, Xiaolin monk," the Bishop interrupted, "for it might bring my wrath upon thee. I am well-aware of your amnesty, but I have the authority to overrule it! Who is to say that you did not commit this murder? If you trust in the Almighty – whether yours or ours – and you are indeed innocent, then you have nothing to fear."

The Bishop walked away, leaving Fung disappointed in what was to become of him. Now he was to become a suspect of heresy, and he knew what these people were capable of doing.

* * *

A lowly room was used for keeping in Master Fung. His mind was set into a state of turmoil over the recent turn of events. Why these people would suddenly accuse him of committing a devilish act was beyond his comprehension, but he was going to prove his innocence. He only wished he brought Shen Gong Wu with him, but part of his reprieve ordered him not to bring them into Europe.

The monk set his eyes over the room to look for something useful, and he spotted a painting with something jutting out from its surface. There was a small emerald shining in the candlelight. He pocketed the gem and then heard his door open and close.

Fung thought he was about to hear about him becoming guilty. He asked, "Are you here to pass sentence on me?"

The monk met with the cathedral's custodian, who was a large, gray rabbit dressed in a tuxedo and top hat named Mr. Herriman (_Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends_).

Herriman spoke with a British accent, saying, "No, I'm here to free you. You are in incredible danger. This cathedral used to be a place of peace... Now many strange things happen here. I don't want you to end up like the others."

"What do you mean?" Fung asked confusedly.

Hopping up to the monk, Herriman explained, "The body you found was Brother Mario, and he was killed to protect a secret. We can't talk about it here. Find me in the Bell Tower later, and I shall aid thee further."

Something didn't sit well with Master Fung. One of the Franciscan monks was actually helping him in the midst of a crime. If the other monks learned about this, they would accuse Mr. Herriman of treason.

"Why are you releasing me?" asked Fung.

"I don't want to see another innocent die like the rest of our Franciscan brethren," said Herriman. "I have seen Brother Mario make numerous entries into his journal. This may contain the answers to the cathedral's dark secrets."

"What can I do?"

"If I were you, I'd run."

"They will surely hunt me if I run. This has to stop."

"Then be it on your own head, Fung. Find Brother Mario's journals if you can. He spent time in the Old Tower investigating. I believe I can find the key to the Old Tower in one of my stores. Later, come find me in the Bell Tower, and I will give it to you. Be swift – we can't evade them forever."

Herriman took his leave before anyone began to arouse suspicion. Master Fung was now going to find the journal and see what this cathedral is hiding from watchful eyes.

When Fung went to open the door, everything around him started to ripple like the waves of an ocean. The next thing he knew, he was in a room where screaming was heard. He wasn't sure what to make of this, but all he could understand was this could only foretell some dark presence. The monk walked down the path leading to a giant hand that opened its fingers to reveal a book. Now the Tome of Eternal Darkness came into his possession, and the memories of everyone who once possessed the book entered his mind.

Fung was back in the cathedral, now with the book and the ability to use the dark arts of magick.

The Xiaolin monk walked into the main hall towards the altar and picked up a torch before going into the door on his left. The room was used as a closet and it contained robes hanging along the wall as well as a wooden chest on the floor. Opening up the chest, Fung had found a crossbow. He preferred not to resort to violence, but he took it with him in case he was met with opposition.

Master Fung then inspected the robes to find something else useful and then heard something tumble out from within one he rustled. There on the floor was a small key. He took it and exited the closet.

The monk then walked up to the altar and stopped behind the podium on the right side. A lock was placed underneath the frame, and it looked small, like the key he picked up earlier. He placed the key in the lock and turned it, and was glad to see the drawer open. A piece of paper with writing on it was inside the drawer. Master Fung read it and knew this was one of the pages of Brother Mario's journal. Now he had one piece of learning the cathedral's secret.

Fung walked down the stairs at the back of the altar and into the basement. Hanging on the walls near the organ bellows was a mace crafted from sturdy metal. The monk picked it up and swung it, noting how heavy it felt and how much damage it would do to an individual. He took it with him, hoping he would never have to use it. Knowing there was nothing else that could be gathered here, he walked back up the stairs to the altar.

Master Fung headed for the balcony after running tiredly. The mace was indeed heavy, and a man at his age wasn't suited for lifting up something so bulky for long. After making it to the balcony, Fung stopped when he saw something appear in a lightning flash. There was a zombie, getting ready to devour whoever came near it. The monk swung his mace and knocked away its head. Blood stained the elegant carpet just as Fung knocked the zombie to the floor. With a few more swings, he beat the zombie into submission and regained part of his mental strength. The monk would now have to be careful of more unholy beasts that might appear in the cathedral.

Fung had now reached the Bell Tower where he was supposed to meet with Herriman. When the rabbit wasn't there, he decided to ring the bell himself, even though it would risk himself being captured. He pulled on the rope, letting the mighty bell chime throughout the cathedral.

In moments, Herriman arrived and waited for Fung to show him what he found.

"Ah, Master Fung, not a moment too soon," said Herriman. "As you have noticed, dread things inhabit this place. Shambling corpses and worse..."

"There is darkness at work here," said Fung, "in the midst of the Inquisition!"

"I suspect it is worse than that, but I have no proof. Brother Mario knew this also, and paid the price for it."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Perhaps you can finish off what Mario started." The rabbit pulled something out of his tuxedo and said, "Take this key. It unlocks the Old Tower. It has been sealed off since the Inquisition arrived."

"I intend to uncover the truth behind this," Fung said vigorously.

"If you manage to uncover the source of darkness, return here and I will do everything I can to help. Till then, Master Fung, may your faith protect you."

Fung was grateful to have at least one ally in the cathedral, so he took the Old Tower key and walked back down the steps and out of the Bell Tower.

The Xiaolin monk was back in the main hall as he headed for the door to the Old Tower. Unlocking the door, he walked in and was met with a horrid sight. There was a Franciscan monk screaming when a Bonethief pounced onto his body. The beast dug its arms into the monk's chest, causing blood to splatter all over the walls. The now-possessed monk turned to look at Fung with malicious intent.

Master Fung didn't want to have to kill the monk but he could not let the beast torture an innocent person like this. He swung his mace in a wide circle and lopped off the monk's head. The Bonethief emerged from the host body and was now looking to make Fung its next target. Master Fung could feel his sanity starting to wane upon looking at this creature, so he got his weapon ready and repeatedly hit the Bonethief until it sank to the floor.

Once the creature was dead, the computer that you, the reader, is looking at suddenly gets the Blue Screen of Death. The screen then returns to normal as Master Fung realises it was only a trick of the mind.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted.

Walking into the Old Tower's entrance, Master Fung had caught something in the corner of his eye. There sitting on top of the old altar was a scroll that looked like it was used for conjuring a spell called Shield. The memories of the Tome's previous owners had allowed Fung to see that the runes for casting this spell were now part of him, so now he could protect himself with magick.

The next thing Fung knew, he started to feel odd as part of him was saying to go into the room off to the side. Heeding the mysterious call, he walked into the room.

What Fung saw next made him feel his skin tingle. He was not alone in this room when he noticed the rotting corpse of what appeared to be a young boy in tattered clothes and rusting armour plates over his body. Master Fung was unknowingly in front of the messenger boy Aerrow who had fallen victim to a spell in an attempt to warn Charlemagne the Frank.

Aerrow stood up while moaning and his right eye glowed red. He held up a two-edged sword while his body surged with yellow energy.

In a raspy voice, the boy said, "Charlemagne..."

Fung was now left to face off against the undead boy, so he quickly cast the Shield spell as a means of precaution: _Bankarok, Santak, Trigon_.

Three balls of red light revolved around Master Fung. Aerrow swung his sword at the monk, but then one of the balls of light stepped in and absorbed the blow before it disappeared. Fung knew the spell wouldn't last for long if this boy kept attacking so he struck a blow with his mace. Aerrow was too slow to counterattack due to his dishevelled state, so Fung was able to knock him down easily.

The battle was over, and Master Fung was the victor. Looking at the boy, the monk took pity on him for what he had become so he prayed silently for Aerrow to rest in peace. He then gently placed his hand on Aerrow's body and the boy's memories flooded into his mind. Fung knew the boy was only doing what he thought was right, so he didn't blame him for his actions.

The Xiaolin monk noticed the boy's glowing eye and pulled out a ruby. He also took the two-edged sword from Aerrow, knowing it would be better suited over the mace. Once he was done, he walked out of the room and up the stairs near the entrance.

Another page from Mario's journal was found on top of a shelf once Fung got on the second floor. If these pages were hidden then someone obviously did not want them to be found. As he was about to head down the stairs, he saw a sheet of paper sticking out from one of the bookshelves. It was a music sheet, displaying the notes of a tune Master Fung didn't understand. He took it with him knowing there was an organ in the cathedral's altar.

Back in the main hall, Fung walked up the altar towards the organ. He took out the music sheet and thought there must be a reason why the notes were arranged in such a way. He played the notes: _A, B, Y, X, B, Y, A_.

(A/N: I don't recognise the notes on a piano or organ so I just gave you the GameCube buttons you're supposed to press at this puzzle.)

The moment when Master Fung played the notes in the correct order did a cabinet suddenly open its doors. Fung walked over to it to see what was inside, and there he found a medallion with five circles inside forming a pentagon. It glowed with white light and whisked itself into the Tome. This Circle of Power now allowed the monk to cast stronger spells.

Fung walked back into the basement and headed for the wine cellar. While trying to make his way through the dark room, he accidentally knocked against one of the large barrels. The result had caused a hollow sound, meaning the barrel was empty. Fung was curious to see why it was the only empty one so he turned the spigot. Instead of finding something coming out of the barrel he saw the back wall slide open to reveal a passage.

The chamber was some kind of mausoleum as a stone casket was stationed in the middle, but Fung was more concerned about the Tabuu Horror that suddenly approached him. He held up his two-edged sword and swung at the creature's mouths. The Horror slumped to the floor and Fung furiously slashed away at the creature's body. An object fell out of the Horror's decaying body and Fung picked it up to see it was a sapphire glowing blue against the candlelight.

Master Fung then saw a triangular pattern laid in stone against the wall where the Horror once stood. He looked at each corner and saw something round could fit into them. He took out the three gems he collected and placed them into the holes. Just then, the stone casket started to move and revealed a hidden stairway leading deeper underground, and Fung jumped at the chance to go down to find out what the cathedral was hiding.

Four Desiree zombies waited in the next room and slowly made their way over to the Xiaolin monk. Fung knew they were no match for him if he enchanted his weapon with Trigon's magick. All the zombies fell to the tip of the enchanted blade, and one dropped a rune in its body almost shaped like Nekleth but with a vertical line coming out from the top and a downward diagonal line sticking out to the left. This was the final rune, and it was called Pargon, meaning 'power.'

Master Fung was now in a room where one bookshelf lay inward to the wall, almost as if it could be pushed. The monk was not as young as he once thought but he put his shoulder against the bookshelf anyway to find a passage behind it.

The passage led to a room where there looked to be a shrine with red candles lighting the back wall. In front was a raised platform where a piece of paper lay on top. Fung had now found another page of Brother Mario's journal. Now he was one step closer to solving this mystery, so he walked out of the room with his latest discovery.

The Xiaolin monk walked back through the winding corridors and emerged from the basement. He headed back to the Bell Tower and presented Mr. Herriman with what he had found.

After reading each journal page, Fung said, "Brother Mario suspected Aceris all along. I managed to find remnants of his journal, and it all points to Aceris' involvement with a paganistic cult operating inside the cathedral!"

"Aye," said Herriman, "the cathedral's dark secret has been uncovered. I, too, suspected this, but was too afraid to act. Aceris himself is a heretic!"

"He has covered his tracks well. Claiming that the sacred relic, the Hand of Jude, was stored here, he had those who came to see it murdered... The Hand of Jude never existed!"

"And with that realisation, the trap closes, Master Fung. My days here are numbered. I awoke to find this cruel dagger placed upon my pillow this morn." Herriman reached into his pocket and pulled out the weapon he described. The blade was long and swerved at the tip. "It can only mean one thing: I know too much, and they are moving to silence me." Shaking his head, he looked down and spoke in a dreadful tone. "I can only hope that what little faith I have left is enough to save my soul."

Herriman handed the dagger to Fung and said, "Please, take this... thing... away from me! Its very sight troubles me to no end. May your faith protect thee, Master Fung... for that's all you have."

The Xiaolin monk took hold of the dagger and walked away from the rabbit. Something terrible was coming, and he had to uncover the truth before it was too late.

Herriman watched as Fung walked out of sight, unaware that a ball of yellow light was forming behind him.

* * *

Master Fung walked back into the main hall and down to the basement, hoping to put an end to this madness. He couldn't believe, after all this time, the Bishop was luring innocent people here and having them sacrificed as part of a cult. He accused Fung of being a heretic when in fact he was the cause. It made the Xiaolin monk sick to his stomach.

He navigated his way through each room until he found a metal statue that looked identical to Mr. Herriman. In the chest was a long slot that looked like something could fit into it. Master Fung didn't want to imagine it, but he took out the dagger that was given to him and drove it into the statue's chest. The instant he did it, he heard screaming that sounded like Herriman was being killed. A portion of the wall had opened to reveal a door and Fung walked away, hoping he hadn't done an unspeakable act against his ally.

Fung was now in a room but couldn't advance farther when he saw a Damage Field under Desiree's alignment placed in front of him. This spell had five runes around it, so the monk would have to use a stronger spell to counteract it. Luckily for him, he had acquired a five-point Circle of Power with the correct rune for strengthening it. He cast the Dispel Magick spell: _Nethlek, Pargon, Redgormor, Trigon, Pargon_.

The spell dissipated the trap and allowed Master Fung to continue onward. Walking deeper led him to a secret altar where he gasped upon what he saw. There was Mr. Herriman lying dead in a pool of his own blood. Now his only ally in the cathedral was gone. The monk suddenly felt his cause was going to be more challenging now that he was alone.

Fung was about to say a prayer for Herriman when he turned around as a voice spoke out to him.

"You are a clever man, Master Fung," it said. Fung saw it was Bishop Aceris, the one who was behind the cathedral's dark secret. "Wanting answers to clarify your new position as fugitive, you seek them out, and this is what you find."

Master Fung turned back to Herriman and frowned in great sorrow as Aceris uttered a maniacal laugh.

The Bishop walked forward and said, "Tell me, what does a man such as yourself think of when he finds a viper's nest of heresy? When he finds the very source of corruption?"

Master Fung backed away and stopped as his back stood against the altar. "I think of irony," he replied. "Irony of what you, masquerading as a member of the Inquisition, stand for – and that you stand for evil!"

"Evil is merely a perspective which no longer concerns me, Fung. You will be executed in the most painful manner imaginable, after we have broken your frail body and mind in the name of our true lord, Desiree!"

Fung set his face into shock at what the Bishop had told him, and he could do nothing but watch the evil man turn his back and walk away from him.

"Come, my children," said Aceris, "feast on this morsel, and let us return to our preparations!"

Two Desiree Bonethiefs walked in front of the Bishop and growled when they saw their meal – Master Fung. When Aceris left, Master Fung rushed in and swung his blade with ferocity at the Bonethiefs. He would have to hurry if he was going to stop the Bishop from issuing his insidious plot on mankind. The blade of his sword was now stained red when both creatures were defeated, and so he ran out of the room as fast as his old body would let him.

Fung ran out just in time to watch the Bishop enter through a door. He was lucky the wicked man hadn't seen him so he followed after him immediately.

After running through a long hallway, Master Fung walked into a large room within the catacombs. He hoped this was the place where the Bishop had talked about arranging the ceremony, so he cautiously walked forward, taking in the stone murals along the walls and the stained-glass window at the back. He couldn't understand it, but something about this room felt ominous. But with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, he pressed onward to stop what was to come.

As the Xiaolin monk kept moving, he could hear a voice echo throughout his mind. _"Master Fung..."_ it said. He felt terrified upon hearing the voice so much that he turned his head to find out from where it was coming.

Master Fung stopped when he suddenly felt the entire room shaking. He tried to find somewhere to take cover, and that's when he turned his head back to the front. The black and white tiles lining the floor had now burst apart as he saw a giant creature appear out of the ground. The Black Guardian spread out its arms as it glowed with a green aura and uttered out a cry. It was performing its task just as its master commanded.

Fung looked up at the Black Guardian in a horrified state. The very thought of fighting against this beast made him feel like he wanted to run. Then he heard the Black Guardian speaking out loud in his mind.

"This is the one who seeks to do combat... with me?" it said.

Fung turned his head when he saw Bishop Aceris step forth. "Your task, my liege and Greater Guardian, is to guard this place," he said. "Do not worry about this worm." The Bishop then shed his façade and revealed himself to be Dark Ace. "His kind yelps in terror at the sight of your mightiness. We will dispose of him ourselves."

Master Fung was about to run when he suddenly felt something was taking hold of him. The Black Guardian had cast a spell to cause the monk to levitate in the air. A green beam was then shot into his chest, causing him to scream in pain and his eyes and mouth to glow green. The magick was so intense that it caused Master Fung's head to explode. His body then slumped to the floor, and his blood pooled around it.

The Black Guardian revelled in its victory, and then spoke to Dark Ace, saying, "If I am to guard this place, then I will do it as I see fit. Be gone! Leave me, and I will guard this artifact, as you have instructed."

Dark Ace felt taken back at what the Black Guardian had said to him but it made a valid point; there were more pressing matters to attend to, and Dark Ace had to see to them in order to bring his master into this world.

* * *

Ophelia had finished reading the chapter. She thought this artifact must be important if Dark Ace was willing to put it under guard, but for what purpose she still didn't know. If she was going to learn that purpose then she would have to continue reading.

She ran into the dining hall where a grand piano was sitting. The woman then realised that Master Fung had played notes on an organ and something was revealed to him.

_Maybe the same thing will happen here_, she thought.

As soon as she got close to the piano, she stepped back when she saw a man hanging from the ceiling with a noose around his neck. It turned out to be BlueTiger321 who turned to Ophelia and said ominously, "The Darkness is coming."

Ophelia snapped as she saw the dead author disappear, like it wasn't real.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" she screamed.

(A/N: For the record, I'm not dead!)

The girl sat on the piano's bench and remembered the notes Master Fung played on the organ. She hit the keys: _A, B, Y, X, B, Y, A_.

The piano's lid opened up to reveal a page lying on the strings. Ophelia reached inside to pull it out and saw it was the next chapter. At first she was horrified to see so many good people losing their lives, but now she felt glad to know that they were doing it for saving their world despite the consequences. She read the next chapter, hoping to expect the same thing.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well, I hope this chapter was thrilling enough for you!

Master Fung: I thought the part where my head explodes was unnecessary.

BlueTiger321: Sorry, but it's all part of the game.

Dark Ace: At least take comfort in knowing your death was quick and painless.

Master Fung: -_- Don't patronise me!

BlueTiger321: Anyway folks, stay tuned when I have the next chapter up and running. So, until next time...

Master Fung: Read and review!


	9. Chapter 8: The Forbidden City

Chapter 8: The Forbidden City

BlueTiger321: Hello, and welcome back to BlueTiger's Eternal Darkness. Here's some more trivia about the game: Eternal Darkness is actually the first M-rated game to be published by Nintendo. Most of the time, they're always making games about a certain plumber. Also, the company that developed the game (Silicon Knights) is from my home country, Canada! Whoo-hoo! You can tell I'm overjoyed by that! =D So, without further ado, on with the next chapter.

* * *

Centuries ago, several soldiers dressed in white robes (the assassins from _Assassin's Creed_) stood in the middle of a desert. The setting sun turned the sky a crimson red that stood out against the rolling dunes. Their task was to watch over one of their own men named Altaïr as he knelt before their warlord.

The very presence of the man seemed to frighten Altaïr. He wore armour over a black robe, and a helmet with an iron mask covered his face as though he was trying to conceal his identity.

Altaïr looked up at the warlord, swallowing nervously. "Who... are you?" he said.

"I am your lord and conqueror!" the man shouted.

Altaïr could somehow see right through the leader's disguise. Underneath the armour, he saw only a man with skin tight against his bones, giving him a skeletal appearance. It was none other than Dark Ace.

"What manner of forsaken being are you?" cried Altaïr.

Dark Ace turned his back and started walking while saying, "So, you can see me in my true form. You are a gifted man." He then gave his orders to the other guards. "Take this one, and use him as the foundation for the pillar."

The guards dragged away Altaïr, just as Dark Ace continued his rant. "He is special," he said, "and should be given a special place among the suffering..."

* * *

The next part of Roku's notes was written in the chapter: _"Much has been written about the exploits of conquerors. In the context of history, one man's champion is another man's nemesis; hero or murderer. Much has been written, but what has not is far more interesting. The Tome of Eternal Darkness mentions a Venetian artist and architect of the Renaissance named Parmon Sean. Roaming abroad to find inspiration, he was captured by a warlord expanding his empire. He forced Parmon to use his architectural and engineering skills to construct a monument to his greatness. To complete his task, he must survey the site..."_

To Ophelia, she was now seeing what it was like in the Middle East in the year 1460 A.D. A giant pillar was under construction just outside of a desert city, standing like it would reach up all the way to the sky.

One of the warlord's guards was looking down a well near the pillar. He was tasked with making sure the architect would do his job, or else he would deal severe punishment.

"Survey the site quickly, dog!" said the guard. "And maybe you'll live long enough to see the sacrament's construction!"

At the bottom of the well was the architect Parmon Sean, or Parm as his friends called him. He was only seventeen years old but a brilliant prodigy. His lightly-tanned skin made his purplish-red hair more noticeable as well as his short goatee and brown eyes. He was clothed in a blue shirt with blue leggings over his purple pants, and yellow and orange boots and gloves.

Parm had become a prisoner of war and the idea of being forced to work for the warlord made him feel disgusted, but he was guaranteed freedom if he was to complete this bit of slavery so he went along with it. He looked up at the guard with much hatred and shielded his head from the blistering sun.

The guard looked back at Parm with the same kind of resentment. "Did you think we would trust you, Sean?" he said mockingly. "Even though you are graced with the generosity of our liege, you are still his prisoner! As I said, finish your work quickly, and maybe we'll drag you out of this hole!"

Parm looked down at the ground with a look of sorrow creeping onto his face. He was about to give up hope on this, but he concluded the best thing would be to finish the job and hope he would be set free. He walked into the catacombs, thankful that he was given a torch by one of the guards so he could see clearly.

The architect kept walking into the pitch black rooms until he was face-to-face with a Desiree zombie. Fear soon took over him and his sanity started to drain. Never had he thought he would come in contact with something so horrid. Mustering up his courage, Parm swung his torch at the zombie and made it topple and writhe in agony as the flames burned away at its ragged skin.

Now Parm would have to be on guard in case anything else like that creature would strike out at him.

The architect was now in the first room to survey as he saw other people there waiting for him. The room had blue and purple walls along with four white pillars sitting around a giant flame. Two of the pillars had become dilapidated, making Parm think about what should be done.

"Hmm..." he said in a British accent. "The structure here shows signs of stress. This doesn't seem safe at all. Perhaps with some reinforcement, it should be able to hold up against the monument."

Parm completed his survey of the first room, and so he walked off to the next area. Something caught his eye when he approached the ladder. Resting on one of the stone blocks was a saif. The blade looked exceptionally sturdy and sharp, and Parm knew he could make use of it if he ran into more trouble. He picked up the weapon and headed for the ladder leading to the next area.

The architect was back in the catacombs and came across an odd structure. There were three passageways leading into different areas, but they were all blocked by iron bars. A lever was situated near the wall, and Parm pulled it down to see what it would do.

The passage from where he came was now blocked, but now the passage on his left was free. The sound had also awakened a Tabuu zombie behind the bars. Parm rushed in and sliced away at the zombie's head. The undead foe collapsed, and Parm slashed at its body before thrusting it through the torso. Once Parm was done, another lever was at the back of the passage. He pulled it, and now the passage to the right was open. But two Trigon zombies also awaited him. Parm decapitated the two creatures and finished them off before they had a chance to regenerate their limbs.

The lever behind this passage was now free for the architect, and so he pulled it to open the entrance and exit.

Parm was in the next room, but to his dismay the entire place was upside-down and what was once the floor was now the ceiling. He couldn't understand how something like this could be designed.

All of a sudden, he was back in the catacombs. He realised battling the monsters must have eaten away at his psyche.

"This... can't... be... happening!" he shouted.

Going back into the room, Parm saw it was as it should be and he sighed in relief. This room was made of sandstone with an elegant design on the walls. One section had wooden beams standing against the side as the ceiling crumbled under pressure. Parm inspected the area to determine what must be done.

Looking up, he said, "There appears to be a slight fault in the stone. I cannot tell how sturdy the foundation is, but it certainly needs reinforcement if it will be built upon..."

The architect was finished in this room so he headed for the ladder leading to the next area. On his way, he noticed a crossbow sitting on one of the stone slabs. He picked it up, knowing he would need whatever he could find to fight more of the creatures.

Parm made his way down the ladder, but then everything around him started to get blurry. He couldn't tell if this was part of the site but he just entered a room where the screams of people were heard. Statues lined the path which he walked, and the one near the end was carved to resemble a Xiaolin monk. Inscribed in stone at the bottom was the name _Master Fung_. A giant hand waited for Parm as he got close to it, and it opened its fingers to give him a book bound in flesh. The Tome of Eternal Darkness now belonged to him, and so did the memories and skills of all its former owners.

Everything then returned to normal. The architect was back where he was before, now having a better view on his current situation with the Tome in his possession. But the only thing that concerned him was getting out of here, so he climbed down the ladder into the next room.

After going through a long corridor, Parm entered a room where a Desiree Gatekeeper lashed out at him with its tail. He narrowly avoided the attack and got out his saif in an instant. The memory from one of the previous owners allowed him to strike at its weak spot, giving Parm the advantage in this battle.

The beast was dead and the green mist in the room vanished. The architect walked into the centre and found a scroll lying on the floor. Remembering all the runes from his newly-acquired memories, he saw it was for chanting a spell. Parm had now gained the ability to cast Summon Zombie.

In the next room, Parm froze when he saw a Trigon zombie coming but then had a strange look on his face when he watched it walk towards the wall. The instant the creature walked onto the floor, a stone block fell from the ceiling and crushed the zombie. The block rose back into the ceiling and blood was strewn across the floor as the zombie's body was maimed. Parm almost felt like vomiting from watching that display, but at least he knew not to step there.

The architect tried to exit this room but a set of iron bars blocked the only doorway in this room. Now he would have to find a way in order to raise it. He then remembered that the bars hadn't dropped until the zombie was destroyed by the block. Parm smiled as he realised that was the key to leaving this room.

Concentrating, Parm had cast the Summon Zombie spell he just acquired. The runes formed around his body: _Tier, Pargon, Aretak, Trigon, Pargon._

A Trigon zombie formed in front of Parm in a flash of red light. He commanded it to walk into the area where the first one entered. The zombie slowly walked along the floor with its body fluids sloshing around its loosely-packed muscles. Both feet were on the tile, and the giant block flattened the zombie. With the zombie destroyed, Parm let go of the spell and smiled when he saw the exit was no longer blocked. A feeling of satisfaction washed over him for his brilliance.

Parm climbed down the ladder and into another part of the catacombs. He kept running until he was finally at the end. What he found was a room that looked rather ancient than any room he entered. Three raised platforms stood in the centre and formed a circle. On each platform was a block with each of the runes that matched what he learned from the book. He tried to step forward to get a better look when a bright light forced him to stop in his tracks. Fear soon took over as he saw the light twist until it took the form of a Persian man. Parm didn't know that he was in the presence of the spirit of Aladdin, one of the Tome's previous owners.

Aladdin raised his ram dao at Parm and looked at him angrily, thinking he was trespassing. "Venture no further," he said, "or be struck down where you stand!"

"Who... What?" Parm said confusedly.

Aladdin's body then fazed and re-formed right in front of Parm, making the architect even more afraid for his life.

"I am the Guardian of this temple – the Forbidden City," said Aladdin. "None shall enter except the Chosen."

Parm tried to get away from Aladdin by backing away slowly, but then he noticed another light forming out of the corner of his eye. There was the spirit of Jasmine, the other being who watched over the Forbidden City. Parm now stood where he was as both spirits kept him from leaving.

"Speak!" ordered Aladdin.

No response came from Parm, and so Aladdin was now forced to do away with him as he did with anyone else who came. The spirit of the street rat then slashed with his ram dao and cut at Parm's body, making the architect scream in terror. Aladdin was left stunned to see that his blade had passed through the body of the intruder, and Parm stopped screaming when he saw that he wasn't dead or injured.

With a surprised look, Aladdin said, "You... are... the Chosen. For many years I have tested those who came here, and all have failed. You are unaffected by the power I wield... and thus must clearly be the Chosen."

Parm couldn't understand what was going on and merely said, "I...?"

"Once I was as you were," Aladdin explained. "Confused and without answers... Yet they came in time. Now my duty is complete. I can finally rest. My sacrifice was not in vain."

The spirit of Aladdin then faded out of existence. He was now able to rest with his beloved Jasmine for all eternity. When they were both gone, something appeared hovering over the pedestal with Tabuu's rune. It was an artifact shaped like a distorted spearhead glowing with a blue aura. Parm approached it carefully as if he expected something else strange to happen. He looked at it and marvelled at its craftsmanship, and could feel powerful magick ebbing from it. Not knowing what it meant, he took out a piece of cloth from his pocket and wrapped it around the artifact. The Essence of Tabuu now belonged to him. The spirit had also left him a ruby effigy shaped like a kneeling warrior.

The architect could see more crumbing coming from the ceiling so he decided to survey the site. He said, "If I remember correctly from the book, this appears to be some sort of shrine. This could be what the warlord wants to preserve when he builds the monument."

Parm was finished with this room so he walked back out from where he came and back into the room with the crushing block trap. There, he saw another doorway that wasn't previously accessible so he walked into it to find more sites to inspect.

As he headed down the room, he couldn't understand but he could feel a strange presence coming from the wall. His eyes could see nothing, but there was something that didn't feel right about it. Thinking back, he searched the memories of the Tome's other owners and came up with the Reveal Invisible spell. He cast it, and there he saw another effigy like the one he already found. This one was made of sapphire and was shaped like a kneeling sorcerer. The architect took it with him, thinking that it was meant for some greater purpose.

The next chamber was not like anything Parm had seen. In it was a platform with a block containing the Desiree rune along with all the runes of the Ancients lining the walls. The platform was surrounded by a ring of fire, but that was the least of Parm's concern for a Trigon Horror roared upon seeing a mortal enter. The architect couldn't back out now, especially with his freedom hanging in the balance. Picking up his saif, he slashed the creature's heads and let blood gush out as they all rolled along the floor. The Horror was defeated and Parm delivered the final blow.

When the architect saw there were no other horrid beasts in the room, he looked at the block and saw a key lying on top of it. The ring of fire posed a problem for him, but he knew there was some kind of trick to this room. He then cast a five-point Reveal Invisible spell to see if that would work. The magick spread throughout the room, and Parm saw his instincts were proven correct. A stone pathway led over the fire and onto the platform. He walked across the path and picked up the key. It looked rather odd as the top was shaped like an eye, but he didn't stop to think about it as he searched for what this key would unlock.

Parm kept walking through the confines of the Forbidden City until he came upon a circular room. More crumbling could be seen as wooden beams tried to keep it all from breaking into pieces.

"Hmm..." said Parm. "This area may be crumbling in some places, but it could be braced to withstand enough force from the monument."

Parm was finished with this room so he went out through the entrance to find the next spot.

Walking out and to his right, the architect came across a locked door. Then he remembered the key he picked up from one of the rooms. The key did fit into the lock and allowed him access into the next room.

What Parm saw when he entered was a long hallway with what appeared to be magick covering the floor. He tried to step onto it, but then he felt as though he had been struck by lightning. The magick was harmful to him so he tried to think of how to protect himself. Looking through the Tome, he discovered he could cast a spell called Shield. Parm concentrated and cast a five-point Shield spell under Lavos's alignment, and five balls of yellow light swirled around him. Now he could safely walk along the floor without taking damage as long as the balls of light revolved around his body.

Parm entered the room at the end of the hallway just as the Shield spell had finally been exhausted. Iron bars soon dropped behind him when he stepped inside, and what he saw was a chamber where there was a large, circular gap filled with mist. On the other side was a switch, to which the architect did not know what it would do but he would soon find out.

Looking around, he saw the floor leading to the switch was blocked by walls on each side and the gap was too wide for him to jump. That's when he came upon a wooden bridge suspended high into the air by a rope. A swift cut from his blade, and Parm was able to lower the bridge, enabling him to cross.

The moment he stepped onto the bridge, two worm-like creatures with jagged teeth came out from within the mist. Parm stopped and yelped in fright. Now he had another problem on his hands. The architect slashed away at each creature, letting his saif become stained with their blood. Both beasts couldn't take much torment from the attacks, so they slithered away back into the mist.

Parm ran over to the lever as quickly as he could and pulled it, not wanting to face any more creatures in the Forbidden City. What the switch did was pull up the iron bars that blocked the entrance. The architect wasted no time in running back, but soon noticed more crumbling as he walked along the bridge. This was his next site to survey.

"This ceiling seems like it would collapse at any given time," said Parm. "The workers are going to have to put in a lot of reinforcement. I pity them for this task."

The architect thought he had now completed his task, so now he could return to the surface to report his findings to the warlord. With that, he rushed back to the entrance, desperately wanting to get out of the catacombs as soon as possible.

* * *

Parm was let out of the well when he told the guards that he was finished. The warlord had accompanied his men, and the architect stepped forward to try and speak with him not knowing he was actually the evil sorcerer Dark Ace underneath all the armour. The guards then blocked his path when he tried to step forward; making Parm suspect there was something he wasn't told.

The warlord turned to face Parm. "And what news do you bring me, architect?" he said.

Parm decided he should tell the truth of what he saw underground. "The foundations are infested!" he said. "Demons and devils...! Many lives will be lost if you try to build there!"

The warlord paused to take in the information, and then he said, "You have done well to complete your goal, Sean. The construction will continue as planned."

Parm tried to get closer to the warlord but he was held back by the guards. He thought his captor was truly mad for trying to build a monument on an accursed place.

"But the demons...!" said Parm. "You'd be insane to build here!"

"Silence, dog!" the warlord shouted. "What dwells beneath the Forbidden City is the very reason it was built! For you to understand, you must witness it firsthand. Let me educate you." His attention then turned to his men. "Guards!" he ordered. "Put this one with the others of the sacrifice..."

* * *

Parm was now at the top of the pillar with the warlord, his guards, and three other people he figured were also prisoners: the first one was the man they knew who could see the warlord's true identity, Altaïr, the second one was a woman named Orihime Inoue (_Bleach_) and she sobbed greatly as one of the guards grasped her arms, and the last one was a man named Bato (_Avatar_). The guards then threw Altaïr into the pillar and he screamed as he fell down the long shaft.

"I am the Scourge of God," the warlord chanted, "appointed to chastise you, since no one knows the remedy of your iniquity except me."

At that point, Orihime was thrown into the pillar and a horrified scream escaped her lips as she fell.

"You are wicked," the warlord continued, "but I am more wicked than you. So be silent!"

It was now Bato's turn to be thrown into the pillar and he tried to plead with the guards, but they would not listen to his rambling so he was thrown in without a second thought. The only one left was Parm. The guards pushed him forward to get closer to their leader's face.

"Now you, architect," said the warlord. "You are about to make your largest contribution to this project."

With that, the guards threw Parm into the pillar and all he could do was scream as he plummeted to the bottom. All this time he should have guessed that his promise of freedom was just an illusion, and now he paid the ultimate price.

Dark Ace had now completed his task of building the Pillar of Flesh over the Forbidden City as part of bringing his master into the world of mortals. The outside of the pillar contained the bodies of those sacrificed for its construction in the stone with their faces showing absolute horror, and one of those unfortunate souls was the architect known as Parmon Sean.

* * *

The time for the planet's alignment was almost at hand. The mighty planet Jupiter lurched forth along its path as it reached the luminescence of the Sun.

* * *

The chapter had reached its end, and Ophelia now understood that getting another essence from one of the Ancients was key to stopping Dark Ace's plans, but she still didn't know how or where to find it.

_I have to find the next chapter_, she thought.

She was alone in the study, but then she heard something crumble in one of the corners. Thinking like Parm, she decided to survey the area. There was a painting on the wall that looked like the Pillar of Flesh. Ophelia checked behind it to find the next chapter. It was almost as though Parm himself was guiding her to this spot, and so she began to read what she found.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well, that concludes this chapter.

Parm: Yeah, and thanks for killing me.

BlueTiger321: Hey, at least you died a hero.

Ophelia: Because we all know you're a big wimp on Dragon Booster.

Parm: Hey! I am hardly a wimp! I'm only brave when I need to be.

Ophelia: Oh yeah? Then what will you do with that big spider on your shoulder?

Parm: Ahhhh! Spider! *runs away*

BlueTiger321: Well, I guess that's Parm for you. Anyway, be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter. So folks, until next time...

Ophelia: Read and review!


	10. Chapter 9: A War to End All Wars

Chapter 9: A War to End All Wars

BlueTiger321: Hello everyone, and welcome to the next chapter! So now, which character will take a leap of faith into the Eternal Darkness? You'll have to read on and find out for yourselves. Enjoy!

* * *

Dark Ace stood underneath Oublié Cathedral at the altar where human sacrifices were made. It was now only decades until his master would arrive and bring forth the Darkness on mankind. The liche was now busy cutting up a human body with a curved dagger.

Focused intently on his work, Dark Ace did not notice a monk named Greed (_FullMetal Alchemist_) walking up to him.

"The Black Guardian grows restless, my liege," said Greed. "Its hunger increases, and the binding continues to weaken. We feed it flesh, but I fear it will not guard the relic too much longer."

Dark Ace took in all the information given to him. Turning his head to the monk he said, "There is no choice in the matter. It must remain and guard the artifact until the time of planetary alignment. After that, the Guardian may return to its lair." The evil sorcerer turned away and looked up at the ceiling as if foreseeing some impending threat. "Our master does not like failure," he continued. "It is imperative to keep the binding intact."

"Then we have to find more flesh and bone," replied Greed.

Dark Ace continued to his work, knowing it was not a problem since there were plenty of worthy mortals in the cathedral.

* * *

Ophelia read her grandfather's notes on the next chapter. It read: _"The 'War to End All Wars' redefined how mankind looked at war, and the value of human life. Over nineteen thousand men lost their lives every day in the trenches of the Somme. Some say uselessly, some invoke a higher cause. _

"_I read accounts of the slaughter from many journalists who spent time in the trenches, but I found the account of a certain Solid Snake to be the most horrible of all... His implication about the Ancient's involvement with the war was hideous and so obvious... With the horror of the Battle of the Somme scant miles away and the distant echoes of pounding artillery, a young journalist named Solid Snake researched his latest story from the frontlines. His grim task brought him to Oublié Cathedral, now transformed into a field hospital..."_

Oublié Cathedral looked much different in the year 1916 A.D. The people of the town of Amiens could no longer use it as a place of worship for World War I had raged on throughout all of Europe. The main hall of the cathedral was now lined with cots and medical tents. Inside, doctors and nurses worked their best to treat the injuries of the soldiers of the Triple Entente. It was supposed to be a place of sanctuary, but instead it became a place of bad tidings.

One man was lucky enough to have no injuries from the Battle of the Somme, and he was a twenty-five-year-old journalist named Solid Snake, or Snake as some often called him. He was tall with short, brown hair and brown eyes. His attire consisted of a black vest over a grey jumpsuit, black gloves and boots, a belt with numerous pouches along the side, and a black bandanna around his forehead.

(A/N: Imagine Snake as how he looks in _Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes_, which is another game developed by Silicon Knights.)

Snake sat by himself in the cathedral as he wrote in his journal about what he witnessed in the trenches: _I find no solace in the purpose behind all the senseless violence that surrounds me. Young men die at a rate unheard of in centuries of warfare. Shelling, machine guns, and mustard gas rip, pierce, and burn their flesh._

Snake paused momentarily to look up and see a soldier walking over to a tent. He viewed a horrid sight but he was used to it. There was the soldier dragging away the body of one of his wounded comrades.

The journalist continued writing: _Men soak gauze in their own urine to stop the insidious gas... The hospitals here cannot cope with the torrent of wounded..._

Snake watched as the soldier forcibly moved one of his own off to the back of the cathedral. He thought it odd since the man wasn't injured enough to be put out of his misery, so he decided to explore what was going on here. Outside, aerial bombs were heard exploding as they made contact with the ground. The journalist hoped there weren't any casualties in the explosions.

When Snake got up to the altar, he found an enveloped sealed with red wax. He figured it must have been left behind in all the confusion around here so he picked it up and opened it. There was a piece of paper with orders from some high-ranked official. Snake knew that this was meant for someone in the cathedral.

He walked out to the entry hall and found a soldier named Dudley (_Street Fighter_). Snake showed the soldier the orders found in the envelope, making Dudley reply, "Bloody hell, lad! We must be on the offensive!"

Dudley followed the orders and left his post, which now gave Snake access into the room. The journalist slowly entered and felt like he was in a terrible place. Bags soaked in blood littered the floor and their stench was enough to drive anyone to the brink of insanity. Snake made sure to cover his nose as he looked around for anything useful. Sitting on a bench was a revolver. The journalist had been given basic weapon's training for his own protection so he knew how to operate a firearm.

As soon as Snake picked up the revolver, the entire cathedral shook as an aerial bomb struck near it. The explosion had caused the power to fail, which sent everyone in the cathedral into a panic as darkness descended upon it.

The man went out to try and find the fuse box to get the power back on, but opening the door had revealed to him a completely different room. This place suddenly revealed itself to him and it gave him a foreboding sense. The cries of people filled his ears, and his only path led him down to a giant hand. He watched the statues of people as he walked down, desperately trying to get out of this room. The statue at the end on his right was of a Venetian man, and the name _P. Sean_ was carved into the stone at the bottom. Snake approached the hand just as it opened its fingers to give him a book. Not having any other option, Snake took hold of the Tome of Eternal Darkness and was instantly flooded with the memories of others. Their experiences were now part of him, allowing the journalist to cast magick.

Snake was back in the cathedral and he headed back to the main hall in the dark. The instant he walked in he found a Desiree Bonethief digging its arms into the body of a nurse. The woman could not scream as her own blood gushed out through her throat. Snake saw this and learned from the mysterious memories he just possessed how to stop this creature. He aimed his revolver and fired, killing the nurse in the process but also releasing the Bonethief. The creature let out a cry as it was set free of its control, and Snake had to finish it off quickly because he could feel his sanity waning from just looking at the beast. After firing another round, the Bonethief fell to the floor. Snake walked over to it and shot its torso to end its life. Now the journalist was more determined to find out what was going on in the cathedral so he rushed off to the back of the room and headed down to the right and into the Old Tower.

As Snake walked into the room, it was pitch black. Not even the light from the windows entered. He tried to make his way around it but he screamed as his body was suddenly bombarded with blow after blow from an unseen enemy. Snake could no longer take the assaults as he lost a lot of blood, so he slumped to the floor and his life was tragically cut short.

Snake shook his head when he realised that it never happened. He was in the Old Tower safe and sound and the light from outside gave him a clear view of the room.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted.

Once he was calm, Snake walked up the stairs to the second floor of the Old Tower. On the wall near the bookcase was a plaque holding a two-edged sword. The journalist took it, knowing he had another chance if ammunition for his revolver had run out.

With his new weapon in hand, Snake walked back down the stairs and into the old visiting chamber. Three zombies immediately made their way to him. But Snake knew he had the power of magick on his side, so he looked through the book to find the right spell. He then cast Damage Field under Lavos's alignment to create a wall of magickal energy. The zombies walked into the magick wall and were forced back when yellow energy surged through their bodies. Snake was able to finish them off with his sword and regained his sanity.

Snake looked around the room to find more ammunition for his revolver as well as ammunition for a rifle. He would make sure to be on the lookout should he find such a firearm. But mostly the room was used for housing medical supplies all covered in bloody fingerprints.

Snake thought; _Are they for saving lives or just easing their suffering?_

The journalist walked back into the main hall. Walking up the altar, he saw a rifle probably left there by one of the soldiers. Snake took it knowing he would need it against more of the horrors he witnessed.

Now he knew that he had to get the power back on so he went down the stairs behind the altar and into the basement. He walked through the dark passages until he was in the boiler room. Snake could see that no pressure was being diverted into the generator so he turned the wheel. This would be the first step in restoring the electricity and helping the soldiers and medical staff.

Snake walked into the room across the hall and finally found the fuse box. Unfortunately, there was no replacement for the blown fuse. The journalist then remembered something that could fit into the slot, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a penny with the Tail's side scratched. This was Snake's lucky penny and he could always rely on it to get out of tight situations. The man placed the penny into the slot. The copper coin allowed the connection to be complete, and now all it needed was electricity. Snake then turned to the generator and saw it had a steady supply of steam for operation. He pulled the lever and the gears started to turn. The electricity had now been restored to the cathedral, and gave Snake a sense of relief that he longer had to wander through the darkness.

Snake walked back into the hallway and into the boiler room, hoping to find out the secret of Oublié Cathedral. Once inside, he saw another door and tried to open it but something heavy leaned against it. He put his eye through the keyhole to see what was obstructing it, and there he saw the carcass of a soldier blocking the entrance.

Snake found a small hole in the wall. The journalist then remembered that he could cast Summon Trapper. After conjuring up the magick, Snake had summoned a Trigon Trapper and sent it through the hole. The Trapper walked through the wall and into the room that was inaccessible. The Trapper made contact with the dead soldier's body, and the small creature used its ability to send the corpse into another dimension.

Snake released his control on the Trapper and walked into the room. What he found was a medallion sitting on top of a crate with seven circles connected to each other in a heptagonal pattern. The strange object glowed with white light and merged itself with the Tome of Eternal Darkness. The journalist was surprised at first, but he had now acquired another Circle of Power, and this one allowed him to cast even stronger spells.

The main hall was now well-lit once again as Snake could see when he walked up the stairs. But to his dismay, he was forced to duck and cover when another aerial bomb had struck near the cathedral and the explosion had shattered the stained-glass windows. Snake felt sorry for the cathedral having lost one of its most beautiful displays, but he knew there were more important matters to complete.

He walked over to the organ and found a music sheet sitting next to it. The paper was old and torn, but Snake could still make out the music notes despite the paper's condition. He decided to play them on the organ: _A, B, Y, X, B, Y, A_.

A cabinet on the other side of the cathedral had now opened up, and Snake walked over to find out what it contained. There, he found a door handle sitting inside the cabinet. He took it with him to find the door missing its handle.

More Bonethiefs came his way, but Snake took care of them like he did the first one with his two-edged sword. The resulting battle had taken its toll on the man's sanity, and Snake suddenly felt weird. His whole body started to shake and then turn brown. His eyes were rolling back into his head and his teeth were decaying. Although he was no longer aware due to his decaying mind, Snake had now been turned into a zombie.

Snake then shook his head when he saw that he was still his regular self.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted to calm himself.

The journalist walked to his right to see a green heptagon on the wall and in the centre was the Desiree rune. This was obviously another trick, and so Snake looked through the book to find the Reveal Invisible spell. He cast the seven-point version under Trigon's alignment, thinking that would be its weakness. The rune and the pattern on the wall disappeared and a door took its place. Snake could see this was indeed the door that had no handle so he placed the object in the right spot and opened the door.

Snake was now in another supply room but saw a ladder going down off to the side. He climbed down and walked through a narrow corridor until he was in a room with Desiree zombies. Blood flew everywhere as his two-edged sword severed the zombie's heads and he finished them off with downward slashes.

After walking through the underground passages of the cathedral and dealing with numerous foes, Snake was now inside a room he thought looked awfully familiar. There were books lined along cases against the walls, but one case seemed out of place and appeared to be indented. He didn't know why, but something was telling him to push in the bookcase. The case did, in fact, move and revealed a passage to which Snake walked into without giving it a second thought.

The journalist had come upon a secret room where a shrine showing a picture to some unknown creature stood high against the wall. In the soft candlelight, there glistened a small object resting on top of a raised platform. Snake looked to see it was a key, so he took it hoping it would lead to something important.

With his new item, Snake walked out of the room to find the door for the key. He eventually came upon it and made his way inside to reach a stairway leading deeper underground. Along the way, he found a scroll hanging on the wall and so he studied it carefully. This scroll was for casting a spell called Magickal Attack. The journalist knew he had all the runes for chanting it from the book, but he still wondered why it would be here of all places.

Snake slowly made his way through the corridor only to stop at a red door. Fear soon crept into his body as he could feel an evil presence coming from behind the door and it begins to eat away at his very soul. The man summoned up all his courage to open this door, not caring whatever lied in wait for him.

The room which he entered was large with stone murals of saints lining the walls, black and white tiles covering the floor, and a stained-glass window in the back. Snake could feel this place was dangerous, almost like something terrible had occurred here. But all he could do was take in the room's splendour and keep moving.

He soon stopped as he saw a large hole bellowing with green smoke that stood before the stained-glass window. What Snake didn't know was that behind the window was a relic shaped like a twisted claw that was meant to be guarded from trespassers.

Snake then looked up in terror when a large beast came out of the hole and stretched out its four arms. Now the Black Guardian would take care of the next being that was foolish enough to enter this room.

The journalist took out his rifle and fired two shots at the creature. Bullets were useless against the Guardian as it did not falter upon being hit.

Suddenly, the Black Guardian created balls of green light that sped to the back of the room and created a magick wall, preventing Snake from escaping. The man knew he had to get rid of this creature, or else his life would be forfeit.

Snake knew that his weapons were ineffective against the Black Guardian, but he remembered the new spell he learned. The beast fired a green lightning bolt and Snake rolled out of the way in time. It gave him the opportunity to counter with Magickal Attack as the creature tried to cast another spell.

From what the journalist figured, he should cast the spell under Trigon's alignment. The runes appeared in red light around his body: _Antorbok, Pargon, Redgormor, Trigon, Pargon_.

A wave of red energy spread throughout the room and hit the Black Guardian. Its body pulsed with the offending magick and it let out a shriek of pain. Snake smirked as he figured out the way to defeating this beast.

(A/N: The battle with the Black Guardian is extremely long, so I'm just going to skip ahead to the end to save time.)

Snake had sent wave after wave of magick at the Black Guardian, and he eventually stood as the victor. The beast fell down into the hole – dead.

All the spells being cast had made the stained-glass window crack and it could no longer stand under its own weight, so it shattered to pieces. The journalist looked to see what was there, so he carefully made his way around the hole while ignoring the dried blood on the floor. He looks at the relic and feels powerful magick coming from it. Wrapping his hands in cloth, the journalist had now claimed the Essence of Trigon.

* * *

Solid Snake had held onto the relic for sixty-nine years. In that time, he kept it safe while suffering from the adverse affects of the accursed artifact. He now sat in the library of the Roivas Family Estate. Over the years, his hair had become grey, he had grown a moustache and his skin wrinkled with his age (Snake in _Metal Gear Solid 4_).

Snake sat in a chair, recalling the events of his life with the owner of the mansion – Dr. Roku Roivas. Unlike Snake, he was years younger but still had signs of grey hair along his hair and beard.

"...And that's how I came by it," said Snake. "I know it sounds crazy, but there you have it. The only proof I have is that... statue."

The retired journalist pointed at the table sitting next to Roku, who leaned in to find the Essence of Trigon sitting in a glass case.

"Hmm..." said Roku. "It's a strange one. I've seen one like it before."

"You have?" asked Snake.

"Yes – very rare, though. Very obscure..."

"I've had experts take a look at it. And none of them know what it is, and you do?"

"I'm somewhat of an expert on these things myself. An interest I developed a long time ago, while I was a young man."

"Then you should keep it. Lord knows I have no interest in it." Snake kept talking while holding his head in his hand in distress. "I'm sure it's the cause of my sleeplessness. I keep thinking about it, as if it's calling out to me."

Roku then held up a glass filled with alcohol in celebration of acquiring the artifact, and having another chance for saving humanity.

"Then a drink, perhaps," said Roku, "for the gift?"

Snake grasped his own drink, happy to know that he could now rest easy without the evil item in his possession.

Lifting his glass high, Roku gave a toast and said, "For an unusual objet d'art..."

* * *

Ophelia had finished reading the chapter. She now knew another of the Ancient's essences was somewhere in this house and now she had to find it. After reading the last page, she felt something in it and so she reached in to find a penny with the Tail's side scratched. Her senses tingled as she realised this was Snake's lucky penny.

The woman rushed through the library but then stopped when she saw another spirit suddenly appear. It looked to be of a maid named Bulma Briefs (_Dragonball_). She looked distressed when she revealed herself.

"Help me..." cried Bulma. "Please help me...!"

The maid then slumped to the floor for some unknown reason. Ophelia walked over to see her still kneeling there and spreading her arms back and forth like she was performing her duties.

"I can't get the blood out!" said Bulma.

The spirit then disappeared and left behind an object on the floor. Ophelia saw it was a key, and she quickly ran out before anything else terrifying happened.

Once in the entrance hall, she headed for the basement and unlocked it with the key. Down, she walked, into the basement to find everything in it covered with years of dust. She noticed a shotgun hanging on the wall so she took it with her in fear of finding something down there. Ophelia eventually found the fuse box and remembered how Snake used his lucky penny for completing an electrical current. She placed it in an empty slot and turned it, knowing that somewhere in the house there would be another secret revealed.

Ophelia walked upstairs to the second floor and into the bathroom. There she had found her grandfather's journal, but she knew there was something else about this room. She searched behind the medicine cabinet, hearing the rusty hinges squeak when she opened it. There sat the next chapter of the Tome, and so she began to read it.

* * *

Days before in the city underneath the mansion, Dark Ace was standing before a Lesser Guardian that stood watch over the city's entrance. The evil sorcerer had another task in mind for his minion.

"You are not free to leave this plane until you complete a task for me," said Dark Ace. "You are to hunt and kill the master of this house. Do this one thing and you will be free, else fear the wrath of Desiree."

The Lesser Guardian complied with its master, so it turned into a ball of green light and searched for its target. Dark Ace knew the task would be completed for nothing would stand in the Guardian's way.

* * *

BlueTiger321: So, there's another chapter done.

Snake: Hey, thanks for not letting me die.

BlueTiger321: No problem. I'd never let an awesome character like you get murdered... but that doesn't mean you won't die.

Snake: Way to get my hopes up. =(

BlueTiger321: Anyway, stay tuned when I'll have the next chapter up. So folks, until next time...

Snake: Read and review!


	11. Chapter 10: A Legacy of Darkness

Chapter 10: A Legacy of Darkness

BlueTiger321: All right! Now we're on with the latest chapter! And before I begin, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to read this story and leave comments for me to read. There's only a little bit of the story left, so just hold out until the end. With that, on with the show!

* * *

A few decades ago, Dark Ace was speaking with Desiree before the giant mirror to inform her of the progress. The liche was rather pleased with himself for delivering this news because he was met with little resistance from each human who got in his way. The magick swirled around his body as he kept the spell intact.

"Everything is complete for your arrival, Master," said Dark Ace. "Now we must wait for the planets to align, and that is not too many years from now. Another Roivas has crossed our path. This time we will not be so merciful."

Desiree spoke in her normal form, saying, "Mercy has no place in this world." She switched personalities and said, "It only has place for me."

"He will meet such a horrible death that the rest of the line will never set foot in his house again!" said Dark Ace.

Desiree's normal form said, "Pray to me that they don't." Her insane personality took over and said, "Pray to me anyway..."

* * *

As Ophelia read the next chapter, she soon realised that now she was reliving the events of her own grandfather, Dr. Roku Roivas, back when he was a younger man in the year 1952 A.D. Roku, who was twenty-two years old at the time, walked through the library of his family's estate. A portion of his black hair was tied back into a knot and held with a golden flame crown, and he was dressed in a red robe with black shoes. His yellow eyes peered around the hallway as he stepped along the hardwood floor.

Roku's notes on the chapter were written: _"My education in psychiatry did not prepare me. I would love to see how Freud's view of his mother would change with the knowledge of Trigon; how Skinner would incorporate Desiree into his behaviourist theories; how Jung would accommodate Tabuu into his theory of the collective unconscious."_ Roku then turned to his right and search the rows of books until he found the one he needed.

The young psychiatrist walked to a fireplace with the book in his arms while looking up at a painting of a tree hanging above it. The rest of his notes continued: _"Like my ancestor Iroh, I, too had an interest in my family tree. As a psychiatrist, I believed that science could provide answers into my family's sordid, bizarre past. It was with great excitement that I began my search. _

"_The mansion's history was filled with my colourful predecessors – everything from convicted and hung witches, to committed madmen, each laying their own peculiar mark on its character. I intended to find their secrets..."_

Roku sat in a large chair before the fireplace and read from the book. Just as his ancestor Iroh, he was going to find the truth behind his family history and what secrets the mansion held. Placing the book on the table beside the chair, the man walked up to the fireplace when he noticed another book sitting on top of it. The book had a red exterior and had a large stack of pages inside. Looking at the title, Roku saw it was his family's historical journal.

As Roku opened the book, he could feel something hard-pressed against the pages. There was the minute hand of a clock, to which he thought it odd that such a random object would be hidden.

The man knew on which clock the minute hand was supposed to go, so he set out for it. He was only a few steps away when he froze in his tracks. An eerie voice was calling out to him.

"_Roku..."_ said the voice.

The psychiatrist turned around to see a blue light forming behind him. His eyes opened in shock to see the light shift into his ancestor, Iroh Roivas.

"Roku...!" Iroh said ominously.

Roku was frightened by this, both by the illogical explanation of a ghost appearing before him and that his ancestor was speaking to him. He slowly backed away, but Iroh stepped forward to give his forewarning. At last Roku decided to hear what his ancestor had to say.

"You know who I am, Roku," said Iroh, "although you are doing your best not to believe it. I am, or was, Iroh Roivas – your ancestor. I died in an asylum after trying to warn the world. The pain and anguish I felt in that cell has empowered me to linger after my death. I must complete what I started, Roku; the Darkness must be stopped, or all of humanity may end."

Roku watched as Iroh headed towards the wall. The young psychiatrist took in this information with great earnest, but still could not try to explain how something like this could happen.

"Set the clock to the thirty-third minute of the third hour..." Iroh explained. His spirit then disappeared.

Roku almost didn't want to believe what he witnessed. But this was a chance to learn a secret about his family so he couldn't afford to ignore it. Before he headed for the grandfather clock, he chanced upon a scroll lying on a nearby chair. He couldn't make out the runes on it, but could see that it was for casting a spell called Magick Pool.

The young man then got the feeling that he should find something to defend himself. He walked into the dining room, knowing there was something there meant for such an occasion. Hanging on the wall from a plaque was an antique sabre. Roku didn't want to ruin its craftsmanship, but he had no other choice if he was met with opposition.

He then walked up to the second floor, while passing by his servants, and into the master bedroom. There, he had found a large book that was identical to the historical journal, but this one was bound in a green cover. Another foreign object was sticking out from within the pages, so Roku took it out to find it was the hour hand belonging to the grandfather clock.

Roku rushed back into the library while hearing lightning coming outside at night. He was eager to find what his ancestor had told him. As he could see, the grandfather clock was missing both the hour and minute hands on its face. He placed them back onto the clock and started winding them to the time Iroh's spirit told him – the thirty-third minute of the third hour.

The time was set, and Roku turned to see a section of the wall slide open. Iroh's spirit had once again appeared before the young man and walked down the passage to guide his descendant on the right path. Roku followed after his ancestor while looking around at the first secret he discovered in his family's mansion.

The passage led Roku into a study where there were many books lying cluttered on top of a desk. One book in particular sat out in front and looked to be bound in leather.

Iroh directed Roku's attention to the books. "Take them, and use them," he said. "They are humanity's only hope. Destroy the Guardians, Roku, and avenge my wasted death."

Iroh's spirit then faded away, now that his business was complete. Roku was left by himself while he stared at the large book on the desk. Everything that just happened was an anomaly all on its own, and he was tasked with deciphering its meaning.

Roku walked towards the desk while picking up a revolver hanging from the plaque on the wall. His fingers then graced the book's cover, and a shiver went down his spine when he realised that it was flesh and not leather. The Tome of Eternal Darkness now belonged to him, and his mind was now filled with the memories of people he didn't recognise, except for Iroh, but it now left him with the ability to use magick.

Roku then understood where he had to go. He ran out of the study and into the library. Upon entering, a horrific event occurred. A green-skinned creature with six eyes and razor-sharp claws and fangs suddenly appeared behind one of Roku's servants. The beast then sucked the blood out of the young woman named Bulma Briefs while she screamed for help. All the blood from Bulma was sucked dry and her deceased body limped to the floor. Roku could only watch stunned by the entire display, and then witnessed the Desiree Vampire turn invisible. A vase then tipped over and smashed on the floor, indicating the creature had knocked it over while escaping.

Once it was over, Roku opened his eyes in shock to see Bulma rise up after being attacked. Her skin had turned pale and her eyes were now missing their pupils. The young maid looked at Roku with malicious intent as she slowly walked over to him.

The psychiatrist was left with no other choice but to do combat with his former servant. Holding up the sabre, he decapitated the girl and watched her severed head roll along the floor while her body disintegrated. Roku was now not only in danger of his own life, but now he had to make sure no harm would come to his servants.

As the man was about to exit the library, he noticed something glinting in the light from where the vase was smashed. There was what looked to be the bottom half of a key. Roku pocketed the item and thought it would be useful at some point.

Roku went up to the second floor and into the guest room where his suspicions were true: the Vampire was terrorising his servants. The beast had appeared before a man named Philip J. Fry (_Futurama_). The servant screamed and shielded himself with his arms while waiting for what the creature would do to him.

Before the Vampire could do anything, Roku rushed in and swiped the beast with his sabre. This didn't bode well for the creature as it turned invisible once more. Now Roku stood ready with his weapon for the Vampire to reveal itself again. He waited for the right moment, and then turned to find a flash of green light. The blade of the sabre cut through the creature's body and sent blood onto the carpet.

* * *

The Vampire had had enough so it teleported out of the room and into the mansion's basement. There it faced a giant stone block with the Desiree rune glowing perfectly in green light. The creature got close to the monolith and opened its mouth, sucking in green magickal energy from the rune. The Vampire then vanished once again to seek out more prey.

* * *

Roku turned to his servant while breathing a sigh of relief. The danger had passed and now he had to make sure that Fry was unharmed.

"Are you all right?" said the psychiatrist.

"Yes, Master Roivas," said Fry. "If you hadn't come when you did, I might not be standing here. That creature might still be somewhere in the mansion, so you might need this for more firepower."

Fry then fished something out of his pockets and gave it to his master. Roku recognised it as the gun cabinet key. With a smile, he thanked his servant and exited the room.

The master of the house walked down the hallway, unaware of the paintings on the wall changing from peaceful settings into hellish nightmares. He entered the master bedroom and opened the gun cabinet. Roku pulled out the only useful firearm, which was the elephant gun. He was about to exit the room when the Vampire revealed itself. This time, the man was sure this beast wasn't going to escape. He struck swiftly with his sabre and let blood stain the magnificent blade. But once again, the creature teleported out of the room and back into the basement where it absorbed more magick from the monolith.

Roku went down to the front hall, and used the Enchant Item spell under Trigon's alignment on his sabre. The blade was now charged with red magickal energy, which would deal more damage to the Vampire. All of a sudden, the beast had returned and Roku rushed in before it could harm another one of his servants. The enchanted sabre made the beast wail in agony when it struck its skin.

When the man thought he had won, the Vampire turned invisible and ran out of the hall. Roku then noticed it dropped something upon its escape. He picked it up to see it was the top half of a key. As Roku contemplated this, the Vampire was back in the basement and absorbed more energy from the monolith to restore its vitality.

The man took out the other part of the key and assembled it together, and then he cast Enchant Item on it under Tabuu's alignment to fix it. The two halves of the key fused together to form the key to the basement. That would be Roku's next destination, so he hurried off to find the creature and kill it once and for all.

Using the key, Roku unlocked the door and headed down the steps into the basement. The Vampire was also there, and rage was set onto Roku's face when he faced the abomination. He soon got a hold of himself to see a stone monolith sitting against the wall with the Desiree rune glowing in the centre. Roku figured that was how the creature was healing itself, so he ran to the side and struck it with his enchanted sabre. The magick was what destroyed the stone and caused it to fall into the well, and a sly grin crossed Roku's face as he destroyed the Vampire's source of energy. The man still had to finish off the creature and he did so with vigour. Blood splattered over the walls and floor when the blade slashed through the Vampire's body until it could take no more and slumped before Roku. The man gave it a few downward slashes when it fell, ending its life.

A sense of satisfaction washed over Roku for finally getting rid of his annoyance. His eyes then spotted another scroll lying on top of the dusty shelves. The psychiatrist saw that this scroll was for casting a spell called Summon Horror. He knew he had the necessary runes and the Circle of Power for chanting it, so he put it away and looked around for other useful items. A double-barrelled shotgun hung from the walls, and Roku picked it up, knowing it would do a lot of damage at close range.

Roku was about to leave when the voice of Iroh suddenly echoed throughout his mind. _"Go down the well,"_ he said.

The young man looked down the well from where he destroyed the monolith. "I hope Iroh is right," he said.

Down the ladder he went until Roku landed on the bottom. He kept walking down the spiralling staircase, taking in the architecture of this unknown setting.

Roku walked along the stone bridge that led to a giant gate on the other side. He quickly dispatched with two Desiree Horrors guarding the entrance, not caring that he was losing his sanity from gazing upon the creatures. Once both Horrors were dead, Roku took a moment to collect himself. The fight was more difficult than he thought and his mind felt like it was broken into pieces.

* * *

Back in the present time, Ophelia was reading from the Tome. Everything she viewed from this book was now unsettling to her and she felt like she wanted to end her suffering – permanently.

Just then, a flash of blue light formed behind her. Ophelia watched as it took the form of her grandfather. She hoped he could ease her pain.

"Help me, Grandpa..." said Ophelia. "I can't take this anymore!"

Roku just sneered at his granddaughter for acting like a coward. "Don't be so weak, Ophelia!" he said angrily. "You have a stronger mind than this. I didn't bring up a weakling. Not a scared wretch of a girl..."

Ophelia couldn't understand why her grandfather was being so cruel, especially to her. She always thought he was a kind and loving man and what she saw was a cynical sociopath.

"You kept all this from me!" said Ophelia. "Kept me alone...! You shared nothing with me!"

"I couldn't," said Roku. "I could never give you the burden... I just wanted you to grow up, to grow up and leave me alone!"

Ophelia was left stunned by that remark and it reduced her to tears.

Roku looked on and saw his granddaughter was more of a weakling than he thought. In a fit of rage, he shouted, "Why couldn't you have been killed with your parents?"

* * *

Back underneath the house, Roku realised that it was all an illusion.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted.

That last vision made Roku a bit scared about what he might become, and it also made him feel awful for treating one of his future family members... if that really was the future. Shaking off the feeling, he walked through the open gate and into the chamber.

The young man was now in a large hall leading down to a giant door. Several passageways lined the path, but each one was blocked by a green magick wall. When Roku stepped inside, he turned his back to see that the entrance was now blocked by a magick wall. He was trapped, and all he could do was figure out the secret for any chance of returning to the surface.

To his dismay, Roku saw a Lesser Guardian was blocking the large door at the end so he was forced to do combat against it. He got out his elephant gun and quickly cast the Enchant Item spell. A magick-infused bullet flew straight into the Guardian's body, making it shriek as it was racked with pain. Roku finished off with another blow and made its body disintegrate into nothing.

The psychiatrist entered the door the Lesser Guardian kept watch over, trying to learn the secrets of this hidden city. This room had two large circles that went up to the ceiling, and carved along their sides were the runes that were inside the Tome. In the centre of the strange construction was a platform with steps leading up to it. Situated around the room were odd-looking stones with a gap in the middle of each of them, and each gap had a glowing blue outline around them.

Roku went over to the stone on the farthest right and touched it. A blue line went from the stone that travelled along the floor and ended on the platform in the middle as it pulsed with green energy. The young man then realised that was meant for the device to activate, so he stepped onto the platform and was whisked away in an instant.

* * *

When Roku had re-appeared, he was now in a completely different area. He stood atop a high tower that looked over the mysterious city. He looked out across and saw eight more towers all lined in a circle. In his mind, he thought these towers were meant for some reason judging from how they loomed over the city.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he walked up to the far end of the tower where he saw a strange stone. The Tome of Eternal Darkness then suddenly glowed when Roku made contact with the stone, and there the Pargon rune made a replica of itself and fused itself with the stone. Roku thought it peculiar that the Tome would react like that on its own. The feeling soon vanished when he saw the warp pad had re-activated itself. He rushed onto it and teleported away from the tower.

* * *

The man had then warped into another room where enemies of all kind stood in wait for the man. Roku knew he was no match for an army of this size, so his best chance would be to retreat but the only exit was blocked by a magick wall. He rushed around, hoping to find some means of escaping when he ran into a lever sticking out from the back of the room. Pulling this lever had dispelled the wall and gave Roku the opportunity to escape the evil creatures.

On his way out, Roku nearly ran into a pit in the floor. He slowed down and allowed himself distance before he accidentally fell. Then, something slithered out from the hole and made the man feel like his heart sank into his chest. A large worm came up and bared its teeth before slithering back into the hole. Roku was so shaken up by the event that he was forced to pull out something from within his robe. In his hand was a metal flask that he put to his lips. The alcohol soothed his nerves and allowed him to take a deep breath. Most people would call him crazy for relying on a drink, but Roku preferred to call it "liquid courage." Once he was calm, he exited the room.

Roku was back in the hall where he fought the Lesser Guardian. At first he felt discouraged for re-emerging back in a place he already explored, but a sudden realisation came to him: maybe he was supposed to come back here and do the same thing with all the other towers. He was going to test this theory by walking back into the teleportation room and touching the next stone. The warp pad was activated, and he stepped onto it.

* * *

The warp pad had sent Roku onto the next tower, proving himself correct. He rushed over to the stone to inspect it, and this time the psychiatrist was given a choice of which rune to set. Iroh's voice echoed in his mind once more, saying, _"Nekleth..."_

Roku heeded the advice from his ancestor and chose Nekleth. The rune was set into the stone and the warp pad activated once again. The man soon realised that if all these runes were being set onto each tower then they must be used for casting a spell. But for what reason, he still didn't know. All he could do was perform the same task for each tower until the spell was complete. Stepping onto the warp pad, he left the tower in a flash.

(A/N: This part is pretty repetitive, so I'm just going to skip over the boring parts.)

* * *

Roku went back and forth between the teleportation room to each tower while putting in each rune as he was advised by Iroh. The runes on each tower went in the order from where he started: Pargon, Nekleth, Pargon, Pargon, Trigon, Pargon, Pargon, Redgormor, and Pargon. This had created a large Dispel Magick spell.

Once all nine runes were in place, the magick wall that blocked the entrance in the hall was gone and Roku was now free to leave the city. This also sparked a great catastrophe as everything around him shook violently. Fear settled into him as he realised he had to get out quickly.

He used the warp pad without hesitation and was transported to a room he previously traversed. All the enemies that blocked his way were insignificant at this point, and so he passed by them without looking back.

Roku ran back into the large hall and headed quickly towards the exit. The entire city shook again, which gave him the encouragement to run faster. He ran all the way to the stone bridge and he knew that he was almost safe. All he had to do was run up the stairs and back up the ladder into his mansion.

The psychiatrist was almost at the top when he paused at the balcony. All the commotion left him curious to find out what the spell he created would do. He looked out with great intent and saw each tower glow with a bright, red light. The centre of the city then burst with the same magickal energy, and Roku was forced to shield his eyes from the intensity. The light soon engulfed the city, and all the creatures that roamed the halls had exploded into bloody pieces as the magick corroded their bodies.

The light from the spell dimmed and Roku looked on with a stunned face to see what lay before him.

* * *

It had been forty-eight years since the incident, and Roku still remembered it like it was burned into the back of his mind. He now carried the burden of watching over the city to make sure it would never rise or bring about its sole purpose.

The now seventy-year-old man sat by himself in the library of his mansion reading from a large book, blissfully unaware of a green ball of light entering unexpectedly. The ball loomed over his head and shifted into the form of a Lesser Guardian – the same one sent out by Dark Ace.

The time on the grandfather clock had now reached 3: 33 A.M. Roku heard a sound coming from above him and sat motionless. He knew that his time was up, and now his task would be passed on to his granddaughter. The psychiatrist then accepted his final moment as the Lesser Guardian leapt down and attacked.

* * *

A short while after Roku had discovered the city; Dark Ace was in the secret chamber speaking with Desiree. The news he was about to deliver was not pleasant, and he knew his master would be most upset.

Desiree looked out through the giant mirror. Her normal personality said, "Do you bring news of disaster, Dark Ace?" Insanity took hold, saying, "And if not, we wonder why not... since disaster has struck!"

"Yes," replied Dark Ace, "your colony of Guardians in the Ruins of Ehn'Gha has been eradicated. A great magick wrought massive destruction there. Not a single Guardian escaped."

Speaking normally, Desiree said, "Your concern is touching, but out of place." Her visage then changed. "There are other Guardian colonies. The loss of one is meaningless." Desiree's normal form took over and displayed anger. "That is the only disaster you report?"

"Yes, my magnificence. There are no others."

"And what of your treachery to us...?" Desiree said normally.

"Treachery...?" Dark Ace was taken back by what his master said. Never would he ever betray her, especially after everything he had done to secure her reign over this world.

"All in good time," said Desiree's insane personality. "It matters not that you bear us ill will, Dark Ace. It will come to no end. You lack the power to destroy me..." Her forms once again switched. "Or even elevate yourself to our level! The future has unfolded before me, through a vision." She switched personalities again. "One of my many visions..." She switched forms again. "A vision of my conquering the Absent Horror – Tabuu, master of the planes. The magick of the planes is no match for the power of the mind, and thus, it will be destroyed."

"Then the gates shall be opened," said Dark Ace, "and you shall once again grace the Earth with your presence." The liche bowed in respect for his master for her vision, and now it was time for his next task.

* * *

Ophelia was finished with the chapter, and tears ran down her eyes as she witnessed how her grandfather was killed. Now that the mystery had been solved, it would be time to administer justice. Her face of sadness then formed to a look of determination as she would finish what her grandfather had started.

As she was about to close the Tome, she noticed a scrap piece of paper from within the pages. She took it out and saw it was a letter from her grandfather addressed to her. Ophelia read it carefully:

_Dear Ophelia,_

_ I have left a small surprise to keep you going when everything seems to go awry. It was my favourite tipple, and there are several barrels of it in the basement._

_ Please help yourself to what you can find. My guess is that I won't be needing it._

_ Your loving grandfather,_

_ Roku_

Ophelia ran back into the basement to find the alcohol her grandfather had left for her. She knew that Roku liked to drink every now and then, and he always kept a stash away from prying eyes. Her eyes looked around the basement until she came upon a stack of barrels. Something jutted itself from behind them and Ophelia pulled it out carefully. The item was a pickaxe, and the woman took it along with her.

Ophelia ran back up to the second floor because a nagging feeling was eating away at her: What was in the servants' quarters? With her newfound pickaxe, she headed for where the room once was and hacked away at the wall.

The woman slowly walked into the room, and then the memories of Dr. Iroh Roivas soon filled her head. She saw her ancestor had entered the servants' quarters with his flintlock pistols drawn. He looked around at each person lying helplessly on their beds, and then he opened fire. The noise was from one shot was loud enough to wake the others, and they all screamed when they saw their master killing them one-by-one. Blood stained the walls and feathers from the pillows fluttered in the air. One servant tried to escape but Iroh had his sabre ready, and so he slashed at his throat while uttering a maddening scream. Another servant was about to run, but the doctor impaled the poor man in the chest and let his lifeless body topple to the floor. Iroh stood in the room as he thought he had now saved his servants from the Darkness.

Ophelia was left aghast at what she just experienced. Now she understood why her ancestor was committed, because he thought all his servants were possessed.

Pushing that feeling aside, she saw a Damage Field spell under Trigon's alignment on the floor. She cast Dispel Magick using Tabuu's power to disable the spell. Walking forward, she saw random objects piled on top of each other. The only thing that caught her attention was an antique stethoscope.

Ophelia knew exactly what the medical tool could be used for, so she ran for the basement. But just as she exited the room, something unexpected came for her: a Desiree Bonethief. This made Ophelia afraid for her life upon seeing the horrid creature, but she kept calm and remembered from each chapter how every person fought against them. The woman got out her sword and slashed at the Bonethief, making it shriek with pain as the steel blade cut through its skin.

A gruelling battle pursued with Ophelia as the victor. She plunged her sword into the body of her defeated foe and walked down to the main hall. Now she would have to be on her guard in case more of Desiree's minions appeared in the mansion.

Heading down to the basement, Ophelia found a large safe tucked away in the back. She placed the stethoscope over the door and started turning the knob to the right, hearing the tumbler click. She did the same action by turning the knob to the left and then the right until she once again heard the tumblers.

The correct combination had been put in, and the lock was released. Ophelia opened the door to find the safe's contents. One was the relic that her grandfather received from Snake fifteen years ago sitting in a glass case. The woman now had the Essence of Trigon. The other items were a brass crankshaft, a letter from Roku addressed to her, and the next chapter of the Tome. By now she hoped this would put an end to all the chaos with her latest find, so she began to read.

* * *

BlueTiger321: Well folks, now we know what happened to Roku.

Roku: Yes. I think I preferred being buried under lava than being decapitated.

BlueTiger321: If that's what you say... Anyway, I hope this left you in chills and eager to find out what happens next. So, until next time...

Roku: Read and review!


	12. Chapter 11: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 11: Ashes to Ashes

BlueTiger321: Hi everyone! Welcome to the next chapter of my story. The last chapter summed up what happened to Roku but there's still one more part of the puzzle that hasn't been solved. You'll find out what that is here, so enjoy!

* * *

The chamber from where Dark Ace spoke with his master was peaceful. The liche himself was there staring at the giant mirror while he contemplated his next move. At that moment one of his followers walked up the stairs to greet him. It was a man named Chase Young (_Xiaolin Showdown_) clothed in a black robe like the Franciscan monks at Oublié Cathedral.

Chase approached cautiously so as not to arouse his master. Once he was within a suitable range, he said, "A storm approaches, Dark Ace – a storm of metal and fire! And a torrent of souls along with it, young and vibrant...!"

Dark Ace turned his neck slightly to address his servant but still kept his eyes on the mirror. "Yes, I have seen it coming," he said. "A worthy sacrifice, I am sure, and one that will allow the Greater Guardian that resides below to finish its channelling."

The news had been delivered, and Chase turned around and walked away when he was finished. Dark Ace was pleased for this unexpected turn of events, and he knew it would be beneficial for his master's ritual. His body began to glow with green magick, and the runes formed around his body. Balls of green light swirled around him, and each one let out a terrifying scream.

The evil sorcerer held his head high and said, "With this sacrifice of souls I make unto thee, Great One, the gates shall be ready to be opened... and your freedom shall be at hand!"

* * *

Ophelia read the next part of her grandfather's notes, wanting desperately to put an end to the madness. She read: _"Wherever disaster and death lurk, there is likely to be an Ancient just beyond our senses, waiting. They prey on our misfortune and exploit it toward their own twisted ends. When hundreds of oil fields are set ablaze on the heels of war, the Ancient's grip tightens, knowing that lives will be forfeit, and resources squandered. But a few people make a difference. People like Victor Stone, also known as Cyborg – an android industrial firefighter, hired to put an end to the insanity at the end of the war. Ironically for him, the insanity was just beginning."_

The Tome now worked its magick on Ophelia. The time and place she now viewed was the Middle East in 1991 A.D. The Persian Gulf War had just ended, but burning oil fields had caused more chaos throughout the land. A large cloud of black smoke rose up to the sky just as a helicopter headed straight for a gigantic fire. Three fire engines were already on the scene and sprayed water to douse the flames.

On the ground, one of the firefighters was near the source of the flame. He was seventeen years old with dark skin and a bald head. What was truly unique about him was that he was an android – a human being with mechanical parts. His body was made up of black, white and silver metal with blue cybernetics, and his left eye was electronic and plated red while his right eye was normal and coloured black. He was also wearing a yellow fire jacket as well as a safety helmet for protection. This was Victor Stone, who also went by his codename, Cyborg.

The fire was creating intense heat all around the area, and the thick smoke made it hard to breathe so Cyborg was forced to don an oxygen mask. He just wanted to finish this job without any harm and head home as soon as possible.

Another firefighter named Frank West (_Dead Rising_) called Cyborg on his walkie-talkie and said, _"How's the temperature in there?"_

"It's hotter than Hell here," replied Cyborg. "I'm getting a little nervous about this one. It feels more out of control than the others. It's more powerful. I don't know how else to describe it."

Frank called back and said, _"This is the safest way to blow out these things. You've done this enough to know that. It's by the numbers; it's all good, so relax."_

Cyborg and another firefighter rushed in to the source of the fire once they saw it was safe to proceed. "The silicon cloth and the water spray are there, so you're probably right," he said. "We've got five hundred pounds of eighty percent nitro-glycerine grade dynamite all in place." The android and his teammate checked to see the explosives were near the oil well and ready to blow in an attempt to cap it and smother the flames.

Once it was set, he said, "We're good to go."

_"Stone,"_ said Frank, _"you can pull your team back now. Get your team to a safe distance and we'll try to kill the fire."_

Cyborg wasn't going to argue with that order, especially with what was at stake. "Sure thing, coming back now," he replied. What he didn't see was a wave of magickal energy pulsing throughout the explosives while he was still checking the area.

_"We're getting a pressure increase at the well cap – it's gonna tear itself apart!"_ said Frank. _"Hurry, get your team out of there!"_

It was too late. The dynamite had exploded and indeed capped the well, killing off most of the flames. Cyborg and his team hadn't gotten out in time and they unfortunately fell deep underground.

* * *

The next thing Cyborg knew, he awoke from unconsciousness and saw he was in a dark cavern. He pointed his head up to see a long hole that was covered with steel girders at the top. The place he was in looked to be manmade as there were several torches along the walls and a railing lining a tiled floor.

Cyborg took off his charred jacket and said in a surprised tone, "What the hell happened?" He looked around and saw the bodies of his teammates lying motionless on the ground. "They're all dead!" he shouted in disbelief. "Robin... Beast Boy... All gone..." He couldn't believe how his own team could be killed in action right before his eyes.

Cyborg was distraught over losing his team, but he knew now was not the time to mourn. He had to get out of here and return to the surface. Checking his surroundings, he found what appeared to be the faces of people carved into stone and each of them was displaying a look of horror.

"Looks like they've been buried alive," said Cyborg, "under tons of concrete!"

The firefighter then froze when he saw a bright, blue light appearing out of nowhere in front of him. The light shifted around until it took the form of a man. Cyborg couldn't believe it, but it looked like a ghost was coming for him. What he didn't know was that it was the spirit of Parmon Sean, the architect who was unwillingly part of the Pillar of Flesh.

Parm opened his arms wide and gave to Cyborg a relic shaped like a distorted spearhead. "Take this," he said. "Guard it well... Many have perished for it. Take it... Take it to the Ruins of Ehn'Gha... at the ruins... a Gathering of Light..." Parm then displayed images in Cyborg's mind of the fabled city as well as the mansion that stood over it.

Cyborg still couldn't believe this was happening. He wished it was just some adverse effect from taking the plunge. "You want me to take this," he said questionably, "to some ruins under a house in Rhode Island?"

"Take it..." Parm said desperately. "Save us... all..."

The relic floated down toward the firefighter who could only stare at it in wonder. The spirit of Parm was now finished with his duty, and now he was allowed to rest in peace and so he faded out of this world.

Cyborg's electronic eye then scanned the artifact, and his systems had told him that the object was shrouded in a dangerous energy. Heeding the warning, the firefighter took his jacket and wrapped it around the artifact. He now possessed the Essence of Tabuu, and now he knew where it was supposed to be delivered. The spirit had also left behind two effigies made of ruby and sapphire, which he took just in case.

The android understood his mission and now he had to make his way back to the surface. Thinking that it would be dangerous in the caverns, he had to defend himself. His sonic cannon was unfortunately damaged in the fall, but luckily for him he still had his fire axe. He walked around to look for other weapons and found a fallen soldier dressed in desert camouflage. The body carried an assault rifle, an automatic pistol and grenades, so Cyborg took them all and walked out of the area.

The next part of the Forbidden City had green mist lining the ground, and Cyborg was shocked to find a Desiree Gatekeeper spread out its wings to show its hideous form. Instantly, Cyborg felt his sanity begin to lose control even though his mind was part-mechanical. He had to kill this beast quickly, so he took out the assault rifle and let loose a volley of bullets. The shots came fast and hard into the Gatekeeper's body, and soon it could take no more and submitted. Cyborg delivered a final shot from his pistol to the creature's head and killed it, making the green mist disappear.

Once the mist was gone, the firefighter could see a ladder heading deeper underground so he climbed down into the next area.

All around the corridor were zombies and Trappers. But Cyborg smirked as he could take them all out from a safe distance. His assault rifle was locked and ready, and he fired to kill all the enemies in his path. Another ladder was against the wall so he climbed up to the next area.

The room in which the firefighter entered had round, bronze shields lining the walls, but something glinted in the torch light that caught his attention. It was a golden, U-shaped amulet with a small sapphire set in the middle. Cyborg took the item and headed back from where he came when he saw there was no other exit in the room.

He headed back through the long corridor and up another ladder where he came upon more zombies. These enemies posed little threat to him so he took out his fire axe and chopped away at their limbs, letting blood splatter against his metallic body. All the zombies were dead in an instant when Cyborg plunged his axe into their bodies, but his sanity was still weak after the encounters.

* * *

All of a sudden, the story goes back to the very beginning.

"_Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering... fearing... doubting..."_

-Edgar Allan Poe

* * *

Cyborg was back in the chamber where he defeated the zombies, realising it was his mind playing a cruel trick on him.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" he shouted.

He calmed down after taking in a deep breath and walked into the centre of the room. Sitting on top of a dais was an old and crooked metal staff. He picked it up and carried it with him, knowing it would be used for something in the Forbidden City.

With the new item in his possession, Cyborg climbed back down the ladder and travelled deeper into the corridor. When he finally reached the end, he climbed up the last ladder and was in a strange room. On the ground was a small replica of a city and at the north end was a platform with a hole where it looked like something long could fit into it. A mysterious light was shining down from the ceiling where the platform stood.

Cyborg looked on strangely at the display. _This is just like in that Indiana Jones movie,_ he thought.

The firefighter was quick-witted to know what to do in this room. He took out the golden amulet and attached it to one of the ends of the staff. He stuck the other end into the hole and began to turn it. The light coming from the top shone through the sapphire and reflected it into a single point. Looking at the small city, Cyborg saw two golden domes and a golden tower scattered throughout it and figured that must be where the light must shine. He turned the light on the first dome and saw it opened a door in the wall, revealing a mirror. The light was now on the second dome and it did the same thing, only on the opposite side of the room. Now it was time to shine the light on the tower, and it reflected against the gold to bounce off the first mirror, which bounced off the second mirror and ended on the small city.

Behind Cyborg a hole opened in the floor. Now he was free to leave this room and continue on his path to freedom. As soon as he tried entering through the hole, everything around him began to warp. He couldn't explain it but he was now in a room where the screams of people echoed throughout its looming halls. The only way he could walk was down a path where statues lined the way, and the one at the end was of a man in deep thought. The name carved in stone at the bottom was _R. Roivas_.

Waiting for Cyborg at the end was a giant hand that opened up its fingers to give him a book. The firefighter just wanted to exit this place so he took possession of the Tome of Eternal Darkness. Memories of other people invaded his head and now allowed him to use magick. The next thing he knew, Cyborg was back in the room. He decided it would be best to move on and not look back at what happened.

The firefighter sped his way through more of the Forbidden City's dark rooms until he reached a chamber with a mist-covered hole in the middle. Fear suddenly took hold of him as he stepped back to see three Worms slither out and bear their sharp teeth. Cyborg let loose with his assault rifle and made each Worm creep back into the hole.

The danger had passed and Cyborg tried to continue forward but stopped when he saw a five-point Damage Field spell using Desiree's power blocking his path. Learning from the memories he just possessed, he cast the Dispel Magick spell under Trigon's alignment. The spell vanished and Cyborg found another effigy lying on top of a stand. It was almost like the others he acquired, but this one was made of emerald and shaped like a kneeling scholar. Feeling there was some kind of connection between this and the others, he took the effigy with him and ran to the next chamber.

Walking through many halls and spilling the blood of zombies, Cyborg came upon a room where three portraits were on the wall. Each one was coloured differently and showed a different kind of person: one was red and showed a warrior, one was blue and showed a sorcerer, and one was green and showed a scholar. The firefighter then realised they were all like the effigies he had, and learned from the Tome the weaknesses of each Ancient. He then placed the effigies where they were supposed to go: the ruby effigy of the kneeling warrior was placed before the sorcerer, the sapphire effigy of the kneeling sorcerer was placed before the scholar, and the emerald effigy of the kneeling scholar was placed before the warrior.

Cyborg's sensors then detected that somewhere in this temple was a secret passage that had just been opened. A feeling of satisfaction washed over him after figuring out one of the puzzles in the Forbidden City so he set out to find the passage.

The firefighter had entered a room he previously traversed and found something new: a staircase leading down into the floor. This must have been the secret passage his sensors picked up, so he stepped down into a mysterious room. In an instant, an eerie voice came from nowhere and called out to him.

_"Victor..."_ said the voice.

Cyborg ignored the voice and approached the room's treasure. There was a sword resting on top of a plinth with the cross-guard shaped like a pair of wings with a white ankh in the centre. What was truly amazing was the blade pulsed with red magickal energy like it was permanently fused with the Enchant Item spell. Cyborg picked up the enchanted sword and headed out of the room.

The firefighter was now in a hallway where a giant stone blocked his path. His sonic cannon could easily destroy it but it was still damaged, and he needed to conserve his power to get out of the temple. He thought there had to be another way to move it, so he looked through the Tome for some answers. His eyes then spotted the spell Summon Trapper and read what the creature was capable of doing. Cyborg thought it was worth trying so he cast the spell and summoned forth a Trigon Trapper. He ordered the small creature to send the stone into another dimension, and the Trapper released a red wave along the floor to make the stone disappear. Cyborg released his control over the beast and was free to climb down the ladder into the next area.

After reaching another unknown section of the cavern, Cyborg paused to find a scroll resting into what looked like a skeletal hand. He read it carefully and saw it was for casting the Bind spell. The firefighter didn't know it, but he now had all the spells in his repertoire.

Walking into the next area, Cyborg was forced to stop when a green magick wall blocked his path. Two Desiree Horrors were in the chamber behind the wall. The android knew this would require some strategy, and that's when he remembered the Bind spell. His sensors told him that a Horror was a strong creature so he would have to cast a strong spell.

Cyborg got the runes together to form a seven-point spell: _Bankarok, Pargon, Aretak, Pargon, Pargon, Trigon, Pargon._

Red balls of light sped away from Cyborg and headed for the Horror on the right. They swirled around the creature as they took hold of its body. With the additional power of Trigon, the possessed Horror was able to defeat the other Horror. Cyborg then smiled as he saw the magick wall vanish, but he still had to deal with the Horror now that the spell was broken. He took out his assault rifle and sent a flurry of bullets into each of the beast's eyes until they were all destroyed. The Horror slumped to the ground and Cyborg delivered a blow straight into the beast's torso.

The firefighter then found something resting on top of a pedestal: plastic explosives. He was lucky to have found these, and even more so that they hadn't accidentally gone off or else he would've been buried alive.

A vision then suddenly came into his head. It was of a large, circular room with a wooden bridge going through a gap filled with mist. An ominous voice then said to him, _"Destroy this..."_

Cyborg wasn't sure what to make of that vision, but he concluded that nothing else at this point would surprise him. With the explosives safely in his possession, he hurried out of the chamber and into the next part of the temple.

As the firefighter walked down a hall, his electronic eye then picked up something coming from the wall. There he could see a door that was invisible to the naked eye, but luckily his sensors were able to find it. Cyborg still couldn't use the door since it was magickally sealed, so he cast the Reveal Invisible spell to make the door become real. He walked through the door to find the place he was supposed to destroy.

Cyborg came into another room where his sensors once again proved beneficial. They detected a large source of energy emanating from the floor, and he deduced it was magick. Remembering the spells, Cyborg cast Shield and safely walked along the floor as each ball of light absorbed the blow from the harmful magick.

The firefighter had finally reached the area he saw in the vision. He walked along the bridge and could hear the wood creak under his weight. Cyborg hoped it would hold up long enough for him to plant the C-4 and exit safely. Just as he entered the middle section, the Worms he encountered earlier returned. Cyborg wasn't going to let them stop him now that he was so close, so he got out his fire axe and swung it madly. Blood splattered and dripped down into the gap. The Worms couldn't take any more damage so they slithered back into the hole.

Cyborg looked around and realised that the C-4 he had wasn't powerful enough to blow up a place this size. He smiled when he found the right spell to strengthen it: Enchant Item. The spell was cast and the explosives pulsed with magick.

The firefighter set the bomb in the middle of the bridge and set it in tune with his systems. His timer displayed that he only had three minutes to escape, so he wasted no time and ran back from where he came.

As soon as Cyborg ran out, the Forbidden City began to shake violently and debris started falling down. Cyborg did his best to avoid every falling object, but he knew he couldn't keep it up forever. With determination, he quickened his pace.

Enemies started coming out from nowhere but Cyborg knew he didn't have the time to fight them all, so he ran past them while ignoring his failing sanity.

Cyborg had come across a room he hadn't explored. He could see light coming from the other side of a large boulder and figured that was the exit. He checked his timer and saw that only one minute remained. He had to get this boulder out of the way or else he would die. Then, he remembered the grenades he picked off the dead soldier. Taking out one, he pulled the pin and placed it underneath the boulder and ran for cover. The grenade exploded and sent the boulder tumbling to pieces. Cyborg saw his way to freedom and ran straight for the exit.

At that moment, the enhanced C-4 finally detonated and caused a large explosion. The area that was once the Forbidden City was now reduced to a pile of rubble. Cyborg was finally glad to be out of there but he still had one more task.

* * *

Eight years had passed, and Cyborg finally made it to Rhode Island. It was night time and he walked down the street to expect the person he was supposed to meet. He was clothed in black attire as if to conceal himself from something or someone. He reached his destination and there he saw an old man dressed in a red robe with long, grey hair and a grey beard. The firefighter was a little shocked to see this man resembled one of the statues when he got the Tome.

Roku turned to his left when he heard footsteps coming closer. There he was greeted with the sight of the one who informed him of something important.

"Thanks for coming," said Cyborg. "I didn't think you'd show."

Roku merely shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Look, I have no idea who you-"

"I think you do," Cyborg interrupted. "Just as much as I know, you know. Let's be quick. The Guardians know where I am, and I won't last the night. But that's not the point!"

The firefighter reached out to Roku and handed him a package wrapped in brown paper. The psychiatrist took it from the mysterious man and wondered why it was offered to him.

"What's this?" asked Roku.

"Something you need," replied Cyborg. "Don't open it here – only in privacy. They can sense it if it's not shrouded." He then turned around to leave before he was found.

"Is it one of the artifacts?" Roku wondered.

"You must leave now," warned Cyborg. "There's something I have to do before they get to me. I can't protect you if they find us. Good luck!"

Cyborg left Roku on the street and vanished into the night. Now that his job was done, he hoped that whoever this man was, he would save humanity from the Darkness.

* * *

High in the deep reaches of outer space, the planets were nearing alignment. This would spell disaster for humanity if the ritual was allowed to take place during that moment.

* * *

The last chapter was finished and Ophelia knew the final relic needed to stop Desiree was somewhere in the mansion. She would have to find it not only for the sake of her grandfather but for the sake of the entire world. Running out of the study, she quickly dispatched of more zombies with her sword until she came into the main hall.

The woman stopped in her tracks and almost screamed when she heard the doorbell ring. The mail slot then opened and a package squeezed out and landed on the carpet. Ophelia then heard footsteps run off once it was delivered. She cautiously approached it, afraid that something deadly was inside. Once she was sure it was safe, she unwrapped the paper and found the Essence of Tabuu inside a glass case as well as the enchanted sword from the last chapter. The woman got an odd sense that Cyborg was somehow still alive and had delivered the package for her. But now was not the time to ponder, so she ran back into the library as she got the feeling she should head for the observatory.

When she got into the room, she saw rows of books lining the walls and a large telescope in the centre. Light was being reflected through the lens and focused on a single point in the wall. Ophelia then remembered this was similar to what Cyborg did in the Forbidden City, so she adjusted the lens to make the light bounce off a nearby mirror. She walked around the room and angled the mirror until the light bounced off another mirror, which she then angled to focus on a dome in the floor. The light went through a hole in the dome and shined down on a steel lid in another location. When light shined directly on the lid, it moved along a rail until it revealed a passageway in the floor.

Ophelia walked out of the observatory and into the basement where she found a wooden door. There, she found the lid moved and light coming from the ceiling, which meant this was where she was supposed to go. Now that she had the essences of the other Ancients, she knew it would be her turn to do her part to fight the Eternal Darkness.

* * *

BlueTiger321: All right! Now it's finally Ophelia's turn to fight!

Ophelia: Hey, can't I just go back to reading from the Tome?

BlueTiger321: Sorry, but that was the last chapter with another character.

Cyborg: Yeah, and at least you hinted that I'm not dead!

BlueTiger321: Well, it's never really revealed in the game but that's how I see it.

Cyborg: Boo-yeah!

BlueTiger321: Anyway folks, the final chapter is coming up so stay tuned to find out the ending to this horror story. So, until next time...

Ophelia and Cyborg: Read and review!


	13. Chapter 12: The Last Hope for Humanity

Chapter 12: The Last Hope for Humanity

BlueTiger321: All right! So this is the final chapter. Before it begins, here's some more trivia: if you've noticed that in every chapter there's always a time specified, but they're not in chronological order. If they were then the character's chapters would go in this order: Dark Ace, Aladdin, Aerrow, June, Parm, Master Fung, Iroh, Snake, Roku, Holland, Cyborg, and Ophelia. I guess the developers didn't think it through since there are so many loopholes in between each chapter. Well, that being said, let's get on with the story. Enjoy!

* * *

Ophelia was now in the depths of her family's mansion. The stone staircase lay before her and she slowly walked down each step, taking into consideration what her ancestor Iroh and her grandfather had faced when they arrived in this place. She stopped momentarily and gazed out at the city known as Ehn'Gha. After reading every chapter from the Tome of Eternal Darkness, she knew what it was capable of doing and she understood that this year marked the planetary alignment and the Ancient known as Desiree would soon be free to enter the world of humans.

The woman set her face into determination. Looking out at the city, she said, "I won't let this happen. My family has been watching over this place for centuries, and now it's fallen onto me. For the sake of my grandfather, and for the sake of all mankind, I will stop the Darkness!"

Ophelia walked away from the balcony and continued her trek down the staircase. She made it to the stone bridge leading into Ehn'Gha, knowing what to do when she entered. Her grandfather already accomplished a marvellous feat here and she was going to do the same.

Into the city she walked, and there she saw the giant hall that led to the teleportation device, the same place her grandfather experienced. Like before, the doorways on the side were blocked by walls of green magick. But this time the floor was covered with pulsing waves of yellow energy.

From the experiences of all the others in the Tome, Ophelia knew that the energy on the floor was deadly. She cast a seven-point Shield spell to protect herself. The floor did no damage to her as each sphere of light took a lightning bolt that tried to stop her. Eventually, she made it to the door at the end but quickly had to cast Dispel Magick to negate a Damage Field guarding it before her Shield was gone. Just as the last ball of light disappeared, the Damage Field vanished and Ophelia slipped through the door before she was electrocuted.

The teleportation room was just like she pictured it from reading Roku's chapter; except mist covered the floor, the runes around each ring weren't glowing and three pedestals were close to the entrance. Two remained intact but one was broken and had the stone slab on the top missing. Ophelia walked around the device and gazed down at the floor through the mist to find what she needed. Indeed she found each fragment of the broken pedestal, and so she cast Enchant Item to repair it. The slab of the pedestal was placed back over the correct spot, and Ophelia knew the purpose for each of them. On each one she placed the essence of every Ancient she collected.

Suddenly, the rings of the teleportation device lit up as the runes showed their luminescence. Ophelia was now free to move between each tower and place the necessary runes to cast a spell. She went over to the stone on the farthest right and sent the blue line along the floor to activate the warp pad. Stepping into the device, Ophelia vanished in a flash of green light.

* * *

The woman re-emerged on the first tower in Ehn'Gha. The view from up high was spectacular like she was looking at the city from the heavens. But she discarded the feeling and focused on her mission.

Ophelia walked over to the stone and saw the Tome created a replica of the Pargon rune. The rune set itself into the stone, and Ophelia saw the warp pad activate again. She knew she had a lot of ground to cover so she ran to the warp pad and onto the next area.

* * *

The room she was now in was exactly how her grandfather saw it, but now she was blocked by a green wall and three Desiree Horrors stood in the section she needed to enter. Remembering that Cyborg was in a similar dilemma, she looked through the Tome and cast the Bind spell on the closest creature.

Red balls of light swirled around it as it was strengthened by Trigon and it then vanquished the other Horrors. The magick wall disappeared and Ophelia rushed in with her enchanted sword to finish off the remaining Horror. She knew the sword was powered by Desiree's weakness, so one swipe from the blade caused the Horror to fall in defeat. Ophelia stabbed each beast in the torso with her sword to finish them off and headed into the next chamber.

The floor was once again charged with energy so Ophelia was forced to cast Shield to protect herself. Another Damage Field blocked her path, and so she dispelled it and re-emerged back in the large hall. She waited for her magick power to re-charge until she had enough strength to cast Shield once more to get to the teleportation room. The balls of light revolved around her again and she quickly ran for her destination.

In the room, Ophelia touched the next stone to activate the device. Stepping on the warp pad, she was whisked away to the next tower.

* * *

On the next tower, Ophelia was given a choice on what rune should go next. She had the right spell in mind after reading the Tome, so she chose Tier. The rune from the Tome replicated itself and merged with the stone. The warp pad activated, and she stepped on it to head for the next area.

(A/N: Once again, I'll do my best to cut out the repetitive parts.)

* * *

The woman walked through another charged room and back into the hall. Fatigue started to settle in her from casting so many spells, but she had to endure it since so much was at stake. She summoned up her strength and managed to cast Shield once again to make it to the teleportation room.

As always, in the room she touched the next stone to activate the warp pad and teleported to the corresponding tower.

* * *

The tower was another spot for the Pargon rune to be placed. Ophelia knew these runes were necessary to increase the strength of the spell so she didn't argue with the logic. Once it was set, she warped over to the next area.

* * *

When Ophelia arrived in the next chamber, she could see it was lighted by three stone tablets that each contained the runes of the Ancients. A purple wall of energy then appeared and blocked the exit. The woman realised that to exit this chamber, she would have to figure out the purpose of these tablets.

She walked over to the closest tablet, which had the Tabuu rune in the centre. She thought there had to be a reason why each tablet was standing and that's when she learned the secret: one of them had to be destroyed. Ophelia then remembered how Snake faced off against the Black Guardian and how he used Magickal Attack to defeat it. She cast the spell using Desiree's power, which was Tabuu's weakness. The Ancient of the Plane was the only one not involved in this battle, so Ophelia thought it would only make sense that the tablet containing his rune was removed.

A green wave spread throughout the room and destroyed the Tabuu tablet but did no damage to the Desiree and Trigon tablets. The purple wall that barred the exit was now gone, and so Ophelia walked through without giving it a second thought.

In the next room, Ophelia could see mist lined the floor but she could hear small footsteps and the familiar chirping of a creature. She knew that Trappers were in this room, so she got out her revolver and slowly walked around to make as little noise as possible. Upon seeing the Trappers, Ophelia opened fire and dispatched with each one.

All the creatures were dead, and so Ophelia walked up a set of stairs and back into the grand hall. Frustration soon set into her when she saw the energy on the floor remained and she had to cast Shield again to get into the room.

_It's for the fate of all humans_, she thought to remind herself.

* * *

Ophelia warped onto the next tower and fused another Pargon rune into the stone. She teleported off the tower and arrived in the next area.

* * *

In the next room, she could only hear scurrying and the cries of Trappers. Nothing was in her line of sight, which led her to believe the Trappers were invisible. She then cast Reveal Invisible to see every Trapper on the floor. One shot from her revolver was all it took to kill every last one of them.

The woman headed out of the room, glad to see that she was met with little resistance so far. She forced herself to continue on through the long corridors until she was finally back in the teleportation room where she touched the next stone and headed for the next tower.

* * *

When Ophelia got to the next tower, she was given the option of which Ancient's magick would be used to power the spell. She searched her memories to learn that Desiree was the one coming into her world so she chose the Ancient who overpowered her – Trigon. The rune corresponding with the Ancient was set, and she was finished with this tower so she warped to another chamber.

* * *

The woman was brought back to another room she cleared of enemies, so she rushed back to the grand hall and back into the teleportation room. She was soon getting tired of having to run back into the same room over and over again, but her will kept her going and she dared not to give it a second thought. The next stone was activated and so she was transported to the next tower.

* * *

After setting another Pargon rune into the tower and warping away from it, Ophelia was now in a room she didn't recognise. She tried remembering what her grandfather had encountered but this was something new. The floor in this room had a purple vine-like pattern all over its surface. The glow from the strange design was able to show Ophelia the way through the mist, but what truly surprised her was the giant rectangular hole in the middle. Fear soon took hold of her when she remembered how people faced Worms that came out of holes just like that one, so Ophelia decided to move cautiously to the exit.

Once again she arrived back in the grand hall, and so she headed for the same room and touched the next stone to send her to the next tower. Only two stones were left after this one, which gave her the encouragement to push onward.

* * *

Another Pargon rune was set into the tower and Ophelia warped off it into where the warp pad would take her. Where she arrived was rather strange. Off to her side she could see three tablets, but these ones had portraits in them instead of runes. In front of them were stone circles like something was supposed to go there. Each portrait was of a different colour and Ophelia could see they depicted a different creature: a Trapper set against a blue background, a zombie over red, and a Horror on top of green.

The woman obviously knew this was another test of knowledge as she could see another purple wall blocking the exit. So she was forced to solve it if she was to continue her mission. With that, she figured on using the three Summon spells to match each creature with each Ancient. From each spell she summoned a Tabuu Trapper, a Trigon Zombie and a Desiree Horror and ordered each one to stand on their corresponding circle. Magick then made each creature vanish and re-appear behind the wall trapped like they were in a zoo.

The wall dissipated once the puzzle was solved, and Ophelia quickly made her way out and back into the grand hall where she went back into the teleportation room. The second last stone was touched and she stepped into the device to be transported to the tower.

* * *

In the next tower, Ophelia was once again given a choice of which rune was to be fused into the stone. This time she picked Aretak, and so she headed back into the warp pad to be transported.

* * *

Ophelia warped into a room that was filled with zombies of all sorts. Using her enchanted sword, she cut down all of them and let blood fly. Soon the floor was littered with their bodies and limbs as Ophelia stood as the victor, but it came with a price as she had lost a bit of her sanity.

All of a sudden, the screen on the reader's computer displays a message:

_To be continued... _

_Coming soon: BlueTiger's Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Redemption_

The screen then displays Ophelia once again as she regains her composure.

"This... isn't... really... happening!" she shouted.

The woman ran out of the room, afraid of another sanity effect taking hold of her. In the next chamber, Ophelia sees that she's trapped when a large gap is across a stone bridge, and underneath it is a lakebed of lava. She thought it must be an illusion since she couldn't feel any heat coming from the gap. To prove herself right, she cast Reveal Invisible and saw the stone bridge was whole, and so she walked safely across and back into the grand hall.

* * *

Ophelia eventually warped onto the final tower where she placed the last Pargon rune. The spell was complete, and Ophelia warped away from the tower to begin the process.

* * *

The woman travelled back to the grand hall where the teleportation device awaited her. The warp pad in the middle was already pulsing with magick, and at first she was confused since she hadn't touched any of the stones to activate it. Then she realised this was supposed to happen once all the runes were in place.

Without looking back, she equipped herself with her enchanted sword and boldly stepped onto the warp pad. The fight for humanity was approaching and Ophelia accepted the task as she was whisked away by magick.

* * *

Ophelia had re-emerged before a large altar after the magick around her dissipated. The instantaneous travel had left her a little flustered as she fell to one knee. When she regained her balance she looked up, and there was the one responsible for everything that happened over the last two millennia – Dark Ace.

The liche was nonchalant to the presence of the unexpected visitor. His attention was focused on the giant mirror where he always communicated with his master. He then realised that the one approaching was the one trying to stop his and his master's plans. Dark Ace decided to humour Ophelia for a brief moment.

"Ah, Miss Roivas!" said Dark Ace. "You're just in time. The summoning spell I began two thousand years ago is finally complete. You will now have the honour of becoming the first morsel for my lady Desiree! An appetizer for the banquet your race shall provide."

Ophelia wasn't intimidated at all by the spouts of this madman. "You forget what it means to be human, Dark Ace!" she said. "The human race will never go quietly into the Darkness! For as long as you have spent summoning your lord, people have struggled against you! Now thanks to their efforts, _I_ have three of the Ancients' essences! Now, Dark Ace! This is the end!"

The words coming from Ophelia only made Dark Ace cry out in laughter. In his mind, he thought there was nothing humans could do to stop their inevitable doom. "The end indeed!" he said.

The evil sorcerer then slammed the butt of his staff onto the stone floor, and Ophelia got ready for the battle that would ultimately decide the fate of humanity. To her dismay, she saw Dark Ace wave his staff around as green magick swirled around it. The energy then revolved around his body just as the runes required for a Summoning spell formed around him. Dark Ace let out maniacal laughter as he was consumed by light that reached up to the sky.

* * *

In the darkness of outer space, green runes began to appear in a circle while echoing their names: _Tier, Pargon, Pargon, Aretak, Pargon, Pargon, Desiree, Pargon, Pargon._

The time of planetary alignment was now at hand, which meant Desiree was now free to emerge in the realm of mortals. The Ancient of the Mind squirmed free of the green vortex. Her body was made up of a human appearance on the top and a blue ghostly tail on the bottom. She wore a blue top that stood out against her green skin and her black hair flowed freely on her head. A cruel smile formed on her face just as magick pulsed between her hands. Now she would declare herself as ruler over Earth, and every human would bow down to her presence.

* * *

What Dark Ace hadn't realised was that Ophelia had created a spell of her own. In the same region of space, the Summoning runes also appeared in red. The vortex it created was horizontal, and out clawed the Ancient of Matter, Trigon.

The Ancient was a large, muscular creature with red skin covered in black stripes with a black loincloth around his waist. Four red eyes were on his face, his ears were pointed at the tips, and his mouth contained razor-sharp fangs. His white hair flowed down his shoulders and a crown of antlers adorned his head.

Trigon didn't know why he was summoned but he would not miss this opportunity to rule over the humans. He let out a mighty roar and his hands released a wave of red energy.

* * *

Back in Ehn'Gha, Ophelia and Dark Ace were just beginning their battle. The Essence of Desiree then hovered in front of the giant mirror and the evil sorcerer cast a five-point Shield spell on it. The artifact then fused with Dark Ace, giving him a shield as well as making him more powerful.

Ophelia rushed in just as Dark Ace shouted while releasing a bolt of green lightning. The attack missed and she threw the blade at Dark Ace's body. The blade bounced off and caused the Essence of Desiree to separate from his body and levitate in front of the mirror. Dark Ace saw the artifact was now vulnerable and Ophelia already regained her sword. With a mighty swing, she slashed at the Ancient's essence.

Somewhere beyond space and time, the room where every person had acquired the Tome of Eternal Darkness began to stir with intensity just as Ophelia attacked the artifact. This came as a vision to the woman, but she ignored it when she saw the artifact move away from her. Dark Ace only laughed at the woman's misfortune and soon released another green bolt.

Ophelia avoided the attack and made her way to the artifact. Slashing it again, the vision once again appeared in her mind.

* * *

In the very same room, one of the statues began to shake. It was the statue of the court dancer June, and her spirit came out in response.

June didn't know why she was here, but she knew that somewhere she was needed. She walked down to the giant hand at the end just as it opened its fingers and she touched the leathery palm.

* * *

Ophelia's body was now replaced by June's spirit. Looking around, the girl saw the man who took her life and rage soon filled her mind. But she was given the task of destroying the artifact, so she held up her short sword and swung at it.

Dark Ace set his face into a snarl upon seeing June. He remembered how her interference had caused him to lose the Essence of Lavos, and now he was going to get his revenge. The liche fired another green bolt, but June ducked in time and followed the artifact to hack away at it again.

Ophelia soon regained control of her body once June was finished and she did the same routine. Upon landing enough hits, her body then changed again to show the spirit of the messenger boy Aerrow.

The Essence of Desiree was now in front of him and he took his daggers and made his own furious slashes.

Ophelia was back to herself and knew that as long as damage was done to the artifact then his shield would weaken. But Dark Ace soon advanced on her and almost struck the woman with his staff. Another attack and Ophelia was replaced with the spirit of the street rat Aladdin.

Holding his ram dao proudly, Aladdin attacked the artifact and made Ophelia regain control.

* * *

Back in outer space, the two Ancients that had been summoned were finally face-to-face. They both narrowed their eyes at each other as they both knew that only one of them would be able to rule over the humans.

Desiree let out a wicked laughter and shouted, "Take this!" Her hands then formed together and she released a beam of green energy at her opponent.

Trigon merely shielded himself with his arms and absorbed the attack. Desiree's mind tricks wouldn't work on him and he would prove it to her. The Ancient had had enough and so he swung his arms out and knocked back Desiree, who cried in pain when Trigon swiped at her.

Trigon said in a mocking tone, "Is that the best you've got?"

* * *

Ophelia and Dark Ace continued their heated battle. She threw her enchanted sword at his body and made him release control of the artifact. Upon striking it, her body then changed to the spirit of her ancestor Dr. Iroh Roivas. It was as if every human who had fallen victim to the Darkness was standing up for one last bit of payback.

Iroh slashed at the artifact with his sabre and made Ophelia return to normal. Dark Ace was now breathing heavily every time his shield was struck and the artifact was taking damage. Letting out a furious cry, he hurled another green bolt but to no avail.

Ophelia once again made him relinquish the artifact and she attacked it. In doing so, her body was now taken control by spirit of the Xiaolin monk Master Fung. He understood his goal and so he swung his mace at the Ancient's essence.

The woman ran into Dark Ace once she was herself again and she slashed with her enchanted blade. She ran for the giant mirror when the artifact appeared in front of it. Running quickly, she slashed it and was transformed into the spirit of the architect Parmon Sean.

Upon seeing Dark Ace, Parm wanted desperately to run him through for what he did to him long ago, but he knew that destroying the artifact was more important. He ran away from a green bolt fired by Dark Ace and slashed at the artifact with his saif.

(A/N: In case you're wondering, not every playable character comes back at this point. I'll just say that Holland and Cyborg are still alive and Snake died of natural causes.)

Immediately, the Essence of Desiree had finally broken to pieces and Ophelia regained control of her body.

In a rage, Dark Ace shouted, "No!" This would certainly lead to severe consequences.

* * *

The Ancient's continued their battle deep in outer space. Desiree was now going to try a move she was sure that would even confuse Trigon. Her body began to glow with a green aura and then split into three forms. Each manifestation of Desiree let out a wicked laugh as they got in front of Trigon.

The forms of Desiree spoke in unison, saying, "Only one of us is real. Which one is it?"

Trigon only smirked at Desiree's foolishness. Forming his claws together, he swiped at the form in the middle and made the others disappear. Desiree screamed when Trigon's claws pierced her body. But Trigon wouldn't let her off that easy. Holding up his left hand, he unleashed a beam of red energy that was shot at Desiree. The beam forced Desiree into Trigon's clutches, and her face showed absolute terror.

* * *

After regaining her self-awareness, Ophelia saw that Dark Ace's shield was gone. Now she could finally do some serious damage to him. She rushed in and swung her enchanted sword at his body.

The energy from the sword was fused with the power of Trigon, and it made Dark Ace cry out in agony when it came in contact with his flesh since his power came from Desiree.

Dark Ace was forced to teleport away from Ophelia in a flash of light. He re-appeared on the steps leading up to the altar and set his face into a snarl. "Don't think you can overpower me!" he shouted.

Ophelia only smirked at him and then switched her sword with her shotgun. As Dark Ace was recovering she quickly cast Enchant Item on it. Dark Ace was back to himself and he unleashed another green bolt. Getting out of his line of fire, Ophelia fired a few rounds. The magick-infused bullets ripped away at his flesh and forced Dark Ace to lean on his staff. Eventually, he fell from the force of the attacks and Ophelia hovered over his body. Now she hoped it would all come to an end.

* * *

Back in outer space, Trigon brought Desiree closer to him. Desiree tried to struggle free but Trigon's power was too much for her. The Ancient of Matter grabbed onto his opponent's waist with his free hand. Once again, Desiree tried everything she could to break free but it was useless.

Trigon let out another mighty roar as a red bolt of lightning came down from above and charged his body. Desiree was unable to take the power from the bolt and so she was forced to scream in pain. Trigon's grip tightened around her waist until she finally snapped in two.

Desiree lay sprawled out before Trigon with her bottom-half torn away at the waist. Trigon then raised his hands and ripped off Desiree's arms. Finally, he dug his claws deep into her torso and slashed her to pieces. Desiree's head went flying behind Trigon as he cried out in victory. What was left of the Ancient of the Mind then turned to green dust.

Realising that he reigned supreme, Trigon shouted, "Now the universe is mine!"

* * *

Dark Ace convulsed on the floor after taking the deadly blows from Ophelia. After all the work and sacrifices he went through just to secure his master's reign, it was all about to end abruptly. The liche then went limp as he rolled onto his back and let out a long sigh.

From his side walked Ophelia who now held onto his staff. She had proven that humans will always fight for their own freedom no matter what the cost.

Looking at the one who defeated him, Dark Ace gasped, "The Darkness... is not so easily destroyed!"

Ophelia finally had enough of this madman's chatter. With rage in her eyes she held his staff high above his chest.

Dark Ace's face changed to panic when he saw this coming. "No..." he cried. "My death... is just the beginning!"

The woman then ended the sorcerer's life by plunging his staff into his torso. Due to the state of his body, his ribs fractured and burst out upon receiving the sharp blow. Green energy consumed Dark Ace and he cried out for his slow and agonising death. When Ophelia was done, she pulled out the staff and watched as Dark Ace's eyes and mouth glowed with green light. The hole in his chest then let out all the magick that kept him alive throughout the years. With his power gone, the once human being named Dark Ace stood still for all eternity.

Ophelia looked at what she had done and threw away the staff. Her grandfather's death had finally been avenged and she thought that justice had been served. But she still knew that an Ancient still remained in this world. If Trigon were left to spread his evil across the land then humanity would endure the same fate if Desiree had been summoned.

Ophelia realised her mistake and she held her head in her hands in frustration. "What have I done?" she said, scolding herself.

* * *

Elsewhere, the spirit of Roku Roivas emerged from the statue where the Tome resided. His granddaughter needed his help and he would not abandon her, especially with humanity hanging in the balance. He walked over to the hand at the end and was transported to one of the towers surrounding Ehn'Gha.

"Quickly, Ophelia!" cried Roku. "We must bind this creature! It cannot be allowed to remain in this universe!"

Roku's spirit walked over to the stone slab where the Tier rune was set. With his vast knowledge of the Ancients, he knew which rune must be set and so he changed it to Bankarok. The spell around Ehn'Gha was now changed to the Bind spell.

Smiling, Roku said, "Ah, that's the ticket!"

* * *

The spell had been cast and high in outer space Trigon was still crying out in victory over his inevitable reign as ruler over this realm. All of a sudden, the vortex that summoned him had re-appeared underneath him. He was now being sucked into the vortex so he tried to claw his way out to freedom.

Trigon's efforts proved fruitless as his body was drawn back into the vortex where it closed forever, preventing him from ever coming into the realm of mortals again.

* * *

Ophelia was by herself before the altar and she contemplated all she had done to save the world. Something from the corner of her eye caused her to turn around, and she saw a blue light change shape until it took the form of Roku.

The woman was overjoyed to see her grandfather one last time before he would settle into a restful sleep, and yet part of her didn't want him to leave.

"It is finally over, my dear..." said Roku. "The Ancient's plans are finished... for now at least. You have proved to be an incredibly courageous young woman. Your mother and father would have been proud of you, just as I am.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this – it's not quite the inheritance I had in mind for you, but there was so little time, and so much to do. Goodbye, Ophelia... I will miss you."

Upon hearing those words, tears formed in Ophelia's eyes and she reached out to her grandfather but his spirit finally left this world. She knew that she did a courageous thing, but she still couldn't help but feel sad since she was all alone.

Ophelia looked down to see the Tome of Eternal Darkness by her feet. She decided that since her grandfather had added his own notes, she would add her own to hopefully let future generations of her family read for themselves.

Feeling pride fill inside her body, Ophelia wrote: _"As I gazed up at the Ancient I had brought into this world to stop Dark Ace, my mistake was made clear. This Ancient could lay the world to ruin just as easily as Dark Ace's would have. And yet as quickly as it began, it ended... To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of reality, to see those who dwell behind. I was once a fool."_

**THE END

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**

BlueTiger321: And there you have it, folks! I hoped you all enjoyed this story!

Ophelia: I know I liked it.

June: Same here, except for the part of everyone dying.

Aerrow: Well, at least we all ganged up on Dark Ace and kicked his ass.

Aladdin: That was the best part.

Iroh: It definitely felt good.

Dark Ace: Hey! Just because I'm evil doesn't mean I don't have feelings!

Master Fung: Oh, suck it up you big baby!

Parm: Yeah, no one likes a whiner!

Roku: Take your defeat like a man!

Holland, Cyborg and Snake: Loser!

BlueTiger321: Ahem! Okay, so I'm glad I got this done, especially before my birthday. So folks, I hope you all wait for my next planned story in the future. With that being said, until next time...

Everyone: Read and review!


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